Jean-Baptiste Robin
Jean-Baptiste Robin is Professor of Organ at the Conservatoire National de Région de Versailles and Titulaire Organist at Poitiers Cathedral, France. He has appeared throughout Europe, Japan, North Africa, and the United States, at notable venues such as the Royal Festival Hall in London, Notre-Dame de Paris, Musashino in Tokyo, and at many international festivals. He studied at the Conservatoire National Supérieur in Paris where he was awarded seven First Prizes for organ, figured bass, counterpoint, 16th-century polyphony, and 20th-century harmony and orchestration. Additional studies in organ were with Marie-Claire Alain, Olivier Latry, Michel Bouvard, and Louis Robilliard. He has composed more than 15 works ranging from solo pieces (for piano or organ) to music for full symphony orchestra (performed by the Orchestre National de Lyon and the Philharmonia Orchestra of London), and was awarded several prizes in composition. His first commercial recording, featuring the organ music of Louis Marchand, was cited with the highest distinctions by several music publications, including Diapason, Le Monde de la Musique, and Classica magazine. In 2009 two new recordings will be issued: the Organ works by Jean-Baptiste Robin on two great Parisian organs (Naxos) and a recording of the complete works of Jehan Alain (Brillant Classics). In 2010 Jean-Baptiste Robin will have a premiere of a composition conducted by Pierre Boulez with the lEnsemble intercomtenporain, in Salle Pleyel/Paris.

Discographie de Jean-Baptiste Robin

Olivier Houette
Olivier Houette was born in 1980. He studied at the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique et de Danse (CNSMDP) in Paris from 1996, where he was a pupil of Olivier Latry and Michel Bouvard (organ), Olivier Baumont (harpsichord), Olivier Trachier, Jean-Claude Reynaud, Jean-Baptiste Courtois and Thierry Escaich (écriture: harmony, counterpoint, fugue, Renaissance polyphony etc.) and Béatrice Berstel (continuo).

In 1999, he was awarded the premier prix in organ with special mention très bien by unanimous decision of the jury, a premier prix in Renaissance polyphony and prizes in harpsichord, continuo, harmony, counterpoint and fugue. He also gained the certificat d'aptitude in organ teaching in 2004, and holds a degree in musicology from the Sorbonne University in Paris.

Olivier Houette has featured in many national and international festivals (Germany, Spain, the USA) and his interest in repertoire ranges from the Renaissance to the 21st century. A member of several chamber and early music ensembles such as the Simphonie du Marais (Hugo Reyne) as harpsichord or organ continuo player - for concerts, operas and recordings - he performs with major ensembles and choirs: Les Violons du Roy (Frédéric Martin), Accentus chamber choir (Laurence Equilbey), the choirs of Notre-Dame in Paris (Lionel Sow), Notre-Dame in Versailles (Jean-François Frémont) or Saint-Christophe de Javel in Paris.

Teaching is a vital part of his musical activity. He taught organ, harpsichord and chamber music at the conservatoire (CRR) in Dijon until 2005 when he took up his present position at Bourg-la-Reine/Sceaux (Hauts-de-Seine). He is regularly invited to give masterclasses or music courses (Nashville Pipe Organ Encouters, USA) and is tutor at the Académie Internationale d’Orgue de Poitiers, the Académie de Chavagnes-en-Paillers and the "Josquin des Prés" music course in Sées.

In 2000, Olivier Houette was appointed organist at Saint-François-Xavier in Paris (late romantic instrument) and organist at Poitiers cathedral, where he plays the historical Clicquot instrument (French classical).u

Discographie d'Olivier Houette

Its organists before 2000