Jean-Patrick Besingrand, Composer & Director of Programming
A native of Bordeaux (1985), Jean-Patrick Besingrand has been described as an « audacious composer » whose music « takes the listener on a fascinating and rewarding journey » (Anne LeBaron). His music plays on tone colors and explores different conceptions of temporality. The incorporation of natural elements such as air sound is also at the center of his interests.
Jean-Patrick has participated in several festivals and masterclasses, including Musica Festival, Shanghai New Music Week Festival, Thailand International Composition Festival, Viola’s 2014 at the Paris Conservatory, and l’Odyssée des Arts Sonnants in Bordeaux. At these festivals, he received instruction from renowned composers such as Beat Furrer, Jörg Widmann, Qin Wenchen, Tania Léon, Mathew Rosenblum, Claude Ledoux, Chen Yi, and Luis Naon. His music is performed in Europe, Asia, and North America. He has received recognition from the Lin Yao Ji International Competition, the Molinari Quartet Sixth International Composition Competition, the Robert Avalon International Competition for Composers, the American Prize, and the First International Composition Competition Viola’s 2014. Jean-Patrick is also the winner of the 2015 CMU Orchestra Composition Competition and the 2015 CMU String Quartet Composition Competition. Most recently, his saxophone quartet won the first prize of the Composition Competition for Saxophone Quartet organized by SaxOpen and the Festival Musica. The Robert Starer Award commemorated his harp concerto Sur les ailes du temps in May 2016.
His music has been performed by the Carnegie Mellon Philharmonic, the Mivos Quartet, the Molinari Quartet, the Del Sol Quartet, the Carnegie Mellon Contemporary Ensemble, the Ensemble MISE-EN, the Ensemble Offspring, C4, the Circuló Trio, the Very Small Consortium Ensemble, the Singularity saxophone quartet, the Aurae Duo, and by the soloists Thomas Piercy, Vilian Ivantchev, Yumi Suehiro, Elsa Seger, Andrew White, Martha Cargo and Etienne Rolin.
Jean-Patrick holds a Master of Arts in Musicology from the University of Bordeaux, and graduated with high honors (Conservatory Prizes) in Analysis, Harmony, Counterpoint, Fugue, Composition, and Soundpainting from the Bordeaux Conservatory where he studied notably with Jean-Louis Agobet in composition. He also holds an Advanced Certificate in Composition from Carnegie Mellon University where he studied with Leonardo Balada. Currently Jean- Patrick is a PhD student in composition at CUNY under Professor Jason Eckardt while working on his doctoral thesis in Musicology at the Sorbonne in Paris.