A French composer born April 13, 1957 in Paris.
Endowed from a very early age with a solid musical training including the piano, choral singing, harmony, counterpoint, analysis and conducting, Philippe Schœller followed, from 1982 to 1986, the classes of Pierre Boulez at the Collège de France as well as those of Franco Donatoni and Iannis Xenakis at the Paris Conservatory and the École des Hautes Études. It was, however, his contact with Helmut Lachenmann, Henri Dutilleux, Elliott Carter and Wolfgang Rihm that produced some particularly fruitful exchanges leading to inevitable repercussions on his approach to composition. Apart from ‘textural perceptions’ that he particularly cultivates, Schœller ever shows himself to be attentive to detail, whether within the ramifications of an orchestra (Totems) or within an extremely unadorned work for soloist (Hypnos Linéa). His music, that has received several awards (from the international composition competitions Antidogma and ‘Henri Dutilleux’, the Natixis Foundation, the Sacem), is written for very different groupings with or without electronics (Feuillages). Also keen on teaching, Philippe Schœller has given many lectures, teaches analysis and composition at the Lyons Conservatory and organises masterclasses, notably at Ircam. It was here that he undertook important work on ‘sound synthesis’, with the aim of producing a new way of manufacturing instruments congruent with both his time and with the traditional components of the orchestra. A composer in residence with the Orchestre Lyrique de Région Avignon Provence for the 2011-2012 season, Philippe Schœller has also achieved distinction as a composer of film music (L’exercice de l’état, 2011).
