An Argentine composer born in 1961 in La Plata.
After studying music in Argentina at the universities of La Plata and Buenos Aires, Luis Naon settled in Paris in 1981. He took advanced classes at the Paris Conservatory with Guy Reibel, Laurent Cuniot (1982-1985), then with Daniel Teruggi, Sergio Ortega, Horacio Vaggione and obtained a doctorate from the University Paris VIII in 2006.
Naon’s music reflects an ensemble of dualities. His Franco-Argentinian culture manifests itself in his works through the things he revisits, such as the geometry of his native city in his cycle Urbana, or the presence of the tango in Tangos utópicos for saxophone quartet (first performed by the Quatuor Yendo for the programme Alla Breve of France Musique, 2015). A duality is also apparent in the choice to associate his compositions with other artistic disciplines (painting, drama, architecture and dance): Naon collaborates notably with the visual artist Abel Robino in mixed installations, with the stage director François Watiaux and the Compagnie Valsez Cassis (Les parapazzi from Yves Pagès, incidental music for tape, first performed at the Festival of Avignon, 1998), and with the choreographer Odile Azagury (cycle Les Princesses for various formations, first performed by the ensemble Ars Nova, 2008). Lastly his experience of music realised in studio introduces a duality in his stylistic choices (spectral-combinatory) as well as in the musical genres, as can be seen in his catalogue with music for fixed sounds and mixed works as well as works that are purely instrumental and vocal. His works include Urbana 1 for accordion, percussion and real time treatment, first performed by Pascal Contet and Vincent Bauer at the festival Agora at Ircam (1998); Lascaux expérience (Urbana 2.B) for flute, clarinet, percussion, harp and cello, first performed by the ensemble Laborintus at the Théâtre Silvia Monfort during the festival Extension du Domaine de la Note (2007); Paréntesis, multi-channel sound installation, first performed at the Museo Universitario Arte Contemporáneo in Mexico (2013); Fermata (Urbana 24) for soprano, mezzo-soprano, instrumental ensemble and electronics, first performed by the ensemble Contrechamps in Geneva, Switzerland (2014); Pajaro contra el borde de la noche for cello, ensemble and electronics, first performed by Ingrid Schönlaub and the ensemble Cairn at the festival Présences (2017); Cantos secretos for saxophone, first performed by Claude Delangle at the Aulnay-sous-Bois Conservatory (2020).
Luis Naon gives seminars and masters-classes all over the world and has taught new technologies applied to composition at the Paris Conservatory since 1991. He has also taught composition at the ESMuC, Higher School of Music of Catalonia (2004-2009) and the Haute École de Musique in Geneva since 2003. With Rut Schereiner he directs the ensemble Diagonal, a variable-geometry ensemble, the object of which is to win over new audiences for contemporary cultural events by cultivating resonances with the different domaines of current artistic innovation.
