Pierre Bibault (Paris, France)

 

Pierre Bibault
Classical and Electric Guitars
www.pierrebibault.com
contact@pierrebibault.com

Pierre Bibault is a versatile classical and electric guitarist, recognized for his virtuosity, innovative interpretation, and dedication to contemporary music. Trained as a classical musician, he is both a soloist, chamber musician, and researcher, specializing in the most demanding and avant-garde repertoires.

Throughout his career, Pierre Bibault has performed in over 25 countries, playing in iconic venues such as Radio France, the Philharmonie de Paris, Walt Disney Hall in Los Angeles, the Musikverein in Vienna, the Elbphilharmonie in Hamburg, Wigmore Hall in London, Prinzregententheater in Munich, Flagey in Brussels, Salle Bourgie in Montreal, De Bijloke in Ghent, Seiji Ozawa Hall in Tanglewood, and the Fondation Maeght, among many others.

As a soloist, Pierre Bibault explores a unique sonic universe where the guitar meets new technologies. He offers varied programs, ranging from written music to improvisations, often enriched with electronic installations and real-time sound transformations. Among his notable projects are Sequences (a re-exploration of Luciano Berio’s Sequenza XI, recently recorded on video and to be released in autumn 2024), Creations (commissions of new works), Bibault meets Moultaka (a collaboration with composer Zad Moultaka), Mirrors (highlighting works by Murail, Romitelli, and Dufourt), and The Steve Reich Guitar Project.

This last project made a strong impact in 2021 with the release of the complete works for electric guitar by Steve Reich. Endorsed by the composer himself, the album was praised by the press and has reached over 200,000 streams. Pierre Bibault’s rendition of Nagoya Guitars was included in the official Essential Steve Reich playlist, while his version of Electric Counterpoint was voted “best version” by listeners of the Tribune des Internautes on France Musique in February 2024.

In July 2024, he collaborated with choreographers Gerard & Kelly at the Fondation Maeght in a project that fused music and dance, featuring works by Steve Reich, Luciano Berio, and Isaac Albéniz.

That same month, he was invited to the prestigious Tanglewood Festivalfor the Contemporary Music Festival week, under the auspices of the Tanglewood Music Center, where he shared his innovative approach to contemporary guitar with an international audience.

Alongside his solo projects, Pierre Bibault has collaborated with many prestigious ensembles and orchestras, including Klangforum Wien, Ensemble 2E2M, InSoliTus, Sound Icon (Boston), Uproar (Wales), and the Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France. 

Starting in 2018, he has been regularly invited by the Ensemble Intercontemporain, collaborating with composers such as Olga Neuwirth, Rebecca Saunders, James Dillon, and Helmut Lachenmann. He has performed a repertoire ranging from Frank Zappa’s psychedelic rock to film music, such as Die Stadt ohne Juden by Olga Neuwirth, recorded for Arte/ZDF. In 2019, he was the soloist for the French premiere of Hans Werner Henze’s guitar concerto Ode an Eine Äolsharfe at the Philharmonie de Paris, under the direction of Brad Lubman. 

Since 2017, Pierre Bibault has collaborated with Ensemble Variances, led by Thierry Pécou, exploring contemporary themes such as sustainable development. With the Ensemble, he released the recording Humain non Humain, featuring works by François-Bernard Mâche, Thierry Pécou, and Jeffrey Holmes.

Pierre Bibault is also active as a composer, with projects such as EaLC (Electroacoustic Live Composition) and Still HI (a collaboration between Human Intelligence and Artificial Intelligence), as well as an upcoming album titled Metal, which revisits his early musical influences.

Since 2016, he has been the Artistic Director of the Festival International de Guitare en Béarn. Currently based in Boston, he dedicates himself to his artistic career while regularly giving masterclasses and lectures worldwide.

He holds a Ph.D. in Arts with a dissertation on Gesture in Zad Moultaka’s music for solo guitar, as well as three Master’s degrees in Performance, Musicology, and Pedagogy.