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Alongside an essentially stage-oriented career, working for many years with some of Europe's greatest stage directors (Moshe Leiser, Jean-Pierre Vincent, Bernard Sobel, Claude Régy, Alain Françon, Jean-Louis Martinelli, Ivo van Hove), Charles Berling came to public notice with Claude Sautet's film Nelly et Monsieur Arnaud and above all, in 1996, with Patrice Leconte's Ridicule. He has played both in blockbusters (Père et Fils, 15 août, Le Prénom…) and in art films (L’Ennui, L’Heure d’été, Elle…). In 2016 he was awarded the Actor's Molière Award for his performance in a state-funded stage production of Arthur Miller's View from the Bridge, directed by Ivo van Hove at the Odéon – Théâtre de l’Europe. He is currently playing in the revival of Yasmina Reza's Art. This free-spirited actor likes to be involved in collective ventures giving him the opportunity to go beyond acting. His film production company runs along the same lines, enabling him to produce his own documentaries and films.
With over fifty roles both on stage and on screen to his credit along with several productions, his unending curiosity and eclectic leanings led him first to writing (his first novel, published in 2011, Aujourd’hui, maman est morte, a title drawn from Camus, was awarded the Jean-Jacques Rousseau prize); then, in 2012, to writing all the songs of his album Jeune Chanteur and performing them on stage. He moved into stage direction in the 1990's and put on Dreck by Robert Schneider in 1997, then Caligula by Albert Camus, End Game, by Samuel Beckett, Gould et Menuhin a musical stage show, and Calek in 2014.
In 2016, he directed and performed in Dans la solitude des champs de coton by Bernard-Marie Koltès (on tour in 2017/2018).
Appointed co-director with Pascale Boeglin-Rodierd of Toulon's state-funded Liberté theatre in September 2011 and of Châteauvallon as of March 2018, their policy is one of promoting original works and high-end programming in both performing and digital arts, mainly turned towards the Mediterranean.
Karol Beffa, born in 1973, had a general education along with music studies after having been a child actor between the ages of seven and 12, appearing in more than 15 films. Top of his class at the Ecole Normale Supérieure in Paris, he read history (Bachelor's degree), English (Master's), philosophy (Master's at Cambridge University) and mathematics, graduating from ENSAE (Graduate School of Economics, Statistics and Finance). Enrolling at the Paris Conservatoire in 1988, he obtained eight premiers prix. Coming first in the Agrégation d'éducation musicale, a highly competitive examination for teachers, he taught at the Sorbonne (1998-2003) then at the Ecole Polytechnique (2003-08). In 2003, he earned his doctorate in musicology with a thesis on György Ligeti's Piano Etudes. Since 2004, he is a senior lecturer at the Ecole Normale Supérieure.
Pianist and improviser, Karol Beffa is a composer whose works have been performed by such well-known ensembles as A Sei Voci, Maîtrise de Radio France, Cambridge Voices, and the leading orchestras (Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France, Orchestre National de l'Opéra de Lyon, Saint Petersburg Philharmonic, London Symphony Orchestra...).
In 2000, the Turin International Biennale of Young Artists (BIG Torino 2000) selected him to represent France, and in 2002, he was the youngest French composer programmed at the Présences festival. He has composed three incidental scores as well as the music for 25 films. As composer-in-residence of the Orchestre National du Capitole de Toulouse (2006-09), Karol Beffa wrote Paradis artificiels (2007), a Violin Concerto, premiered by Renaud Capuçon (2008), and a Piano Concerto, first performed by Boris Berezovsky (2009).
Karol Beffa is a fellow of the Institut de France in composition and won fellowships from the Lili and Nadia Boulanger Foundation (2001), the Music Academy of Villecroze, Natexis Foundation (2002) and Les Muses fellowship (2004). Finalist of the Prades International Composition Competition (2005, 2007), he has won the Charles Oulmont Prize (2005), the SACEM Young Composer Competition and the Chartier Prize of the Académie des Beaux-Arts (2008). In 2013 and in 2018, he won a Victoires de la musique award in the Best Composer category. In 2017, he was awarded the Grand Prix de la musique symphonique de la SACEM. Finally, he was named an Officier des Arts et des Lettres.
His publications include György Ligeti (Fayard, 2016), Parler, Composer, Jouer. Sept leçons sur la musique (2017), Diabolus in opéra. Composer avec la voix (2018) and, with Cédric Villani, Les Coulisses de la création (Flammarion, 2015).
The French cellist Edgar Moreau, who turned 21 in 2015, can already look back on a number of exceptional achievements, among them becoming the winner – at the age of just 17 – of the Second Prize in Russia’s formidable Tchaikovsky Competition, winning the Young Soloist Prize in the 2009 Rostropovich Cello Competition in Paris, and performing with such distinguished musicians as Valery Gergiev, Gidon Kremer, András Schiff, Yuri Bashmet, Krzysztof Penderecki, Gustavo Dudamel, Renaud Capuçon, Nicholas Angelich, Frank Braley, Khatia Buniatishvili, Gérard Caussé and the Talich Quartet. In 2013 his huge potential was highlighted by France’s top music awards, Les Victoires de la Musique, which named him the year’s ‘Révélation’ among young classical instrumentalists.
He released his debut album in March 2014 on Erato with pianist Pierre-Yves Hodique: Play is a collection of short pieces and brilliant encores from Popper, Paganini, Chopin, Saint-Saëns, Fauré, Dvořák, Massenet, Schubert, Poulenc and Tchaikovsky among others. His follow-up album, Giovincello, presents 18th-century cello concertos recorded with the Italian Baroque ensemble Il Pomo d'Oro.
A Parisian by birth, Edgar Moreau first realised he wanted to play the cello when he was just four years old – the instrument caught his imagination when he saw a girl having a cello lesson in an antique shop he was visiting with his father. He began lessons soon afterwards, and was giving concerts with major orchestras by the time he was 11 years old. Since the age of 13 he has been a student at the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique in Paris. He has participated in masterclasses given by such cellists as Lynn Harrell, Anner Bylsma, Miklós Perényi, Gary Hoffman and David Geringas, and since October 2013 has been attending the Kronberg Academy near Frankfurt – home to the Emanuel Feuermann Conservatory, named after the legendary Ukrainian-born cellist.
When the editor of the international music website Bachtrack saw Edgar Moreau perform in Gstaad in early 2013, he had the following to say: “One always comes to a young musician’s concert with a hope that this will be that special day when you hear a performer who you are absolutely sure will be a star of the future. That hope only comes to fruition on a small number of occasions: this concert was one of them. I'm willing to take bets that nineteen year-old Parisian cellist Edgar Moreau is going to have a glittering career ... His playing is muscular and he throws himself into the music ... and Moreau has bags of stage presence, with a flexible face which can turn from smile to grimace and back in an instant but always shows deep involvement with the music ... Even at such a young age, Moreau can completely win over an audience with his big sound and no-holds-barred style. I think he's going to be a winner.”
Paul Meyer has been named music director of the Chamber Orchestra of Mannheim, starting in the 2019/20 season. Ever since his dazzling success in 1982 at the age of 17, as laureate of the prestigious Eurovision Contest and Young Concert Artist in New-York, he never ceases to surprise. Considered at a very young age as an exceptional instrumentalist, his stellar career is studied with performances in major international venues alongside the world’s finest musicians such as Benny Goodman, Isaac Stern, Rostropovitch, Jean-Pierre Rampal, Martha Argerich, Yuri Bashmet, Gidon Kremer, Yehudi Menuhin, Yo-Yo Ma or Emmanuel Ax. He rapidly oriented himself towards orchestra conducting, while pursuing his performance skills which have won him a unique role as world-famous clarinetist. After founding the Orchestre de Chambre d’Alsace, Paul Meyer became in great demand as conductor. He studied with John Carewe and enhanced his conducting skills, working over several seasons and taking advantage of the advices of major conductors such as Marek Janowski, Emmanuel Krivine or Myung Whun Chung. Appointed associate conductor of the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra by Myung Whun Chung in 2006, he conducted there over three seasons and contributed to the establishment of an Orchestral Academy designed to prepare young musicians for the orchestral discipline. In 2009, he was appointed Principal Conductor of the Kosei Orchestra in Tokyo, with which he explored contemporary repertoire and gave concerts in Tokyo (Tokyo Opera City), as well as touring in Japan and abroad. His recognition as a conductor, based on a profound understanding and experience of orchestral work, rapidly led him to conduct major chamber and symphony orchestras amongst which the Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France, Orchestre Philharmonique de Nice, Brussels Philharmonic, Royal Flemish Philharmonic, Symfonieorkest Vlaanderen , Hamburger Sinfoniker, Staatskapelle Weimar, Tonkünstler Niederösterreich, Bilbao Orkestra Sinfonika, Sinfonia Varsovia, Prague Philharmonic, Belgrade Philharmonic, Zürcher Kammerorchester, Orchestre de Chambre de Lausanne, Copenhagen Philharmonic Orchestra, Danish Symphony Orchestra, Russian National Orchestra, Tokyo Metropolitan, Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra, China Philharmonic Orchestra, Shanghai Philharmonic Orchestra, China Philharmonic Orchestra, Taipeh Symphonic Orchestra, Royal Oman Symphony Orchestra, Sydney Omega Ensemble, Orquesta Filarmonica de Bogota, Orquesta Sinfonica de Sao Paulo. His encounter with Pierre Boulez and Luciano Berio – Berio dedicated to him his piece for clarinet Alternatim - was a decisive factor in the position he holds today in enhancing the repertoire of his instrument, thanks to his premieres of concertos written for him by contemporary composers such as Krzysztof Penderecki, Gerd Kühr, Michael Jarrell, Qigang Chen, Luciano Berio, Edith Canat de Chizy and Thierry Escaich, works which he has premiered at major festivals such as Salzburg, Wien or Amsterdam. New commissions include works by Guillaume Connesson and Eric Montalbetti. Paul’s recording career consists of over 50 works with major labels such as DGG, Sony, RCA, EMI, Virgin, Alpha and Aeon which have won numerous awards: Fono-Forum, Diapason d’Or, Choc du Monde de la Musique, Gramophon, Grammy Awards. New releases include recording of Cello Abbey as conductor with Cellist Nadège Rochat and the Staatskappelle Weimar, Weber Clarinet concertos with the Orchestre de Chambre de Lausanne (play and conduct) and Thierry Escaich’s clarinet concerto with Orchestre National de l’Opéra de Lyon and conductor Alexandre Bloch. Passionate with chamber music, he has founded the ensemble Les Vents Français and is co-founder with Eric Le Sage and Emmanuel Pahud of the Festival International de Musique de Salon de Provence. Paul Meyer has been awarded France’s highest cultural honour, the Commander of the Order of Arts and Letters, for his contribution to the Arts in France and throughout the world.
Mathieu Laine has multiple passions. He is an entrepreneur, has created Altermind and advises business CEOs and politicians. He is also an affiliate Professor at Sciences Po, an essayist and a columnist for Le Figaro, Le Point and France Culture. He has just published Il faut sauver le monde libre (Plon). He explains how he came to write Le Roi qui n’aimait pas la musique (Gallimard Jeunesse) : "As in many families, we never go to bed at home without having read at least one story to the children. As I love writing, I had a dream: to write a story for my children and stepchildren. Even better, inspired by the ultimate model of Peter and the wolf, I opted for a musical tale. I am very fortunate to be very close to a classical music composer, Karol Beffa, who is one of the greatest composer of our time! Karol writes tonal, subtle, sensitive and delicate music. He is also a wonderful friend. One Sunday afternoon, I started writing this text about this little imaginary people composed only of musicians... except the king! I sent him and he wrote splendid music to bring this story to life. The text inspired him all the more because it underlines the importance of music in our lives while denouncing the tyrants who, as is still happening today, ban music and gag the arts. From there, I called other great friends: Renaud Capuçon and Patrick Bruel. They said yes and called Paul Meyer on clarinet and Edgar Moreau on cello. So we had our own little orchestra! Le Roi is really a friendship story! Since then, it has been a book-disc (Gallimard Jeunesse) and it is played in festivals and schools. Charles Berling has since joined the adventure by embodying it admirably! I hope you will enjoy this tale as much as we do!