French composer and pianist born in 1985 in Boulogne-sur-Mer.
A pianist by training, Fabien Touchard studied composition, orchestration, analysis, improvisation and vocal accompaniment at the Paris Conservatory, notably in the classes of Thierry Escaich, Alain Louvier, Gérard Pesson and Jean-François Zygel. He also obtained a master’s degree in musicology at the Paris-Sorbonne University.
Passionately interested in the literature and poetry of all epochs, and more generally in everything connected with the voice, Touchard works on dramaturgy and the text/music relationship within an often narrative formal discourse that is nonetheless contemplative and immersive. He explores all vocal genres, from opera to traditional forms of music via pop music and the text-based chanson. Motivated by a strong taste for both contemporary music and early music, Touchard likes to connect these different musical worlds, taking advantage of every stylistic or historical colour. His music thus aggregates, consciously or not, all sorts of musical influences and memories, from the Renaissance to gospel music. His output, expressive and lyrical, teems with polytonality, coloured harmonies and modern modes of play. His works include Nach Hölderlin for soprano, mezzo-soprano and piano, first performed by Marie Soubestre, Anaïs Bertrand and Bianca Chillemi in Tübingen, Germany (2013); Chants de l’éther for mandolin, guitar and harp, first performed by the Trio PolyCordes (2015); L’horloge et l’abîme, for soprano, flute, oboe and piano, first performed by Marie-Laure Garnier, Anna Beson, Augustin Gorisse and Guillaume Sigier in Paris (2016), a work chosen for the Grand Prix Lycéen for composers 2020 and with which he won the teachers’ prize; Nouveaux Blues for vocal quartet, first performed by the vocal ensemble Méliades à Isle (2019); The Waves for mezzo-soprano and viola da gamba, first performed by Anaïs Bertrand and Robin Pharo at the Festival Radio France in Montpellier (2019).
An arranger and improviser, Fabien Touchard has worked on numerous shows and cinema-concerts, notably with the Hall de la Chanson/Centre National du Patrimoine de la Chanson. Choral director at the Paris Conservatory for the Dramatic Arts, he is also teacher of harmony and counterpoint at the Boulogne-Billancourt Conservatory as well as of counterpoint at the Paris Conservatory.
