French Composer Bruno Ducol has Died, Aged 74

Ducol was a respected composer, pianist, and teacher

Born in Annonay, France, in 1949, Bruno Ducol studied at the Conservatoire National de Région de Lyon and the Conservatoire national supérieur de musique de Paris (CNSMD). 

His mentors included Olivier Messiaen, Pierre Schaeffer, Yvonne Desportes, and Claude Ballif. 

As a composer, he drew inspiration from many sources including ancient music, pre-Columbian art, and the Far East. 

His catalog of around 60 opuses also shows his attachment to nature, which involved a fascination with volcanoes and volcano folklore. Among his many works around this theme include Alpaya, en bleu et cendres (“Alpaya, in blue and ashes”) for four percussionists and an electroacoustic device. 

Ducol’s output also included solo and chamber music, plus orchestral, choral, vocal, and electroacoustic music. 

Until 2014, he also worked as a professor of musical analysis at the CNSMD, where he trained many acclaimed musicians, composers, and performers. In 2015, Ducol received the prestigious René Dumesnil Composition Prize from the Académie des Beaux-Arts. 

Prior to his death, he was working on his last unfinished opus, titled Entre regard et silence, a vocal piece on poems by François Cheng. 

Mr. Ducol is survived by his composer son Clément, and daughter Aurélie who is also a musician. Our condolences to his family, friends, students, and colleagues. 

A 2019 interview with Ducol can be read here.

Our apologies to Mr. Ducol's family, friends, students, and colleagues.