About
Benjamin Attahir
Composer, violinist, and conductor
Blending Eastern and Western traditions into a singular, evocative voice
Born in Toulouse in 1989, Benjamin Attahir began by learning the violin and then, very early on, developed a passion for composition. His teachers include Édith Canat de Chizy, Marc-André Dalbavie, Gérard Pesson, and Pierre Boulez.
Winner of numerous competitions and distinctions such as the Ernst von Siemens Music Prize, the USA IHC in Bloomington, the UNESCO International Rostrum of Composers, several prizes from SACEM and SACD as well as the Académie des Beaux-Arts, he was nominated in 2019, 2021 and 2023 for the French Victoires de la Musique Classique.
His works have been performed by various ensembles and orchestras (Staatskapelle Berlin, Seattle Symphony, Orchestre National de France, Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France, Orchestre du Capitole de Toulouse, Helsinki Philharmonic, Netherlands Philharmonic, Orchestre de Chambre de Lausanne, Ensemble Intercontemporain, Tokyo Sinfonietta, Les Éléments, Musicatreize, Les Nouveaux Caractères, the Maîtrise de Radio France, the Trio Zadig, the Arod and Van Kuijk Quartets…) He has been composer in residence at the Orchestre National de Lille, the Gulbenkian in Lisbon, the Basque Country, as well as numerous Festivals (Aix en Provence, Gstaad, Les Arcs, Messiaen, Lucerne Festival…)
Resident at the Villa Medici (16/17), he encountered the work of the author and playwright Lancelot Hamelin with whom he has since woven an uninterrupted dialogue.
Author of five operas of which he directs the premieres, the stage domain is the backbone of his musical writing, which, like his origins, draws its inspiration halfway between East and West.
He regularly collaborates with artists such as D. Barenboim, R. Capuçon, B. Chamayou, J-G. Queyras, J-Y. Thibaudet, E. Pahud, M. Coppey, H. Demarquette, G. Caussé, T. Sokhiev, A. Orozco-Estrada, P. Rophé, M. Franck, A. Altinoglu… As well as with several troupes: the Comédie Française, the Liyuan Theater of Quanzhou (China).
As a conductor, he has conducted the Royal Orchestra of the Brussels Mint, the National Orchestra of Lille, the Lausanne Chamber Orchestra, the Orchestra of the Laureates of the Conservatory, as well as the ensembles Les Illuminations, DAI, Aenea…
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