Francis Touchard

Francis Touchard began studying clarinet at the age of eight. He entered the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique de Paris in 1985 under Guy Deplus direction. During his studies, he encountered the pianist Frank Braley, and they went to perform numerous concerts together. In 1988, he won a first prize in clarinet and was accepted into the Advanced Soloist Course at the CNSM de Paris, again under Guy Deplus. In order to broaden his musical and artistic horizon, he took part in a Banff Center workshop in Canada. That same year, he assumed a clarinet professorship at the Conservatoire de Montrouge. In 1990, he won the National Young Soloist Competition of Deuil-La-Barre. He replaced Guy Deplus as clarinet soloist with the Ensemble Ars Nova from 1989 to 1996, with which he has taken part in many tours, premieres, concerts, festivals… His curiosity has led him to explore new Midi techniques, such as WX11 Midi Wind Controller, which he uses in performing various contemporary works for theater and contemporary opera. He has delved into this field in close collaboration with the composers Philippe Leroux and Marc Monnet, as well as with the Ensemble Attentat. In parallel, he is frequently invited to perform with leading Parisian orchestras such as the Orchestre National De L'Opéra De Paris, Orchestre Philharmonique De Radio France… He currently performs as both a chamber musician and soloist in France and abroad. In1996, he performed as a soloist with the Nouvel Orchestre Philharmonique De Radio-France, with which he went on tour throughout Europe, in Japan and South America in 1998, in Africa… In 2000, he decided to stop teaching clarinet in order to give free rein to his passion for Chinese Energetics, which he pursues professionally. Since 2003 he has been a core clarinetist with TM+ and takes active part in advocating today’s music.