Hélène Bouchez
Conducting a wide repertoire from classical to contemporary music, Hélène Bouchez appears as a guest conductor of orchestras around the world and has worked with leading music directors such as Pierre Boulez, Leonard Slatkin, Marin Alsop, Kurt Masur, and Rafaël Frübeck de Burgos.
In France, Hélène Bouchez conducts orchestras such as Orchestre National de Lyon, Orchestre National d’Ile-de-France, Orchestre de l’Opéra de Rouen, Orchestre Phiharmonique de Radio-France, Orchestre Poitou-Charentes, Orchestre de Picardie, and Orchestre Symphonique de Vichy. She recorded Homo Loquax by Pascal Ducourtioux with Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio-France (awarded “Coups de coeur” de l’Académie Charles Cros). She premiered the opera Verfügbar aux Enfers by Germaine Tillion in the Paris-Théatre du Chatelet Season with the Pelléas Orchestra.
Hélène Bouchez is a regular guest of prestigious Festivals, such as Folle Journée de Nantes, Nancyphonies, Manca, Nuits d’été, Aujourd’hui Musiques. Involved in contemporary music, she also conducted Ensembles such as Sillages, Syntax, Apostrophe (Orchestre Philharmonique de Nice), the Lyon XXIst Century Ensemble, and the Amiens Brass Band. Hélène Bouchez has conducted many world premieres and has collaborated with composers such as Philippe Leroux, François Paris, and Thierry Blondeau, among others.
In the United States, Hélène Bouchez conducted the National Symphony Orchestra (Washington, D.C., Kennedy Center, 2006 NCI program held by Leonard Slatkin). She made guest appearances with the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, the Fort Wayne Philharmonic, and the New Mexico Philharmonic. Winner of the Boston Symphony Orchestra competition, she was invited in 2004 for a two month residency at Tanglewood where she conducted the Tanglewood Music Center Orchestra in many concerts. She also shared a live broadcast concert with Kurt Masur. Previously, she premiered new music at the Cabrillo Festival of Contemporary Music held by Marin Alsop.
In Asia, Hélène Bouchez was Laureate of the Tokyo International Conducting Competition (2003). She conducted the New Japan Philharmonic and received an award from the Min-On Association Concert. In Korea, she was guest at the Pohang Philharmonic Orchestra.
In Europe, she worked with Pierre Boulez at the Lucerne Festival and conducted his Notations. She also performed with the Sarajevo Philharmonic Orchestra, the Szombathely Symphony (Bartok Festival, Hungary), and the Sofia Symphony Orchestra (Sienna, Italy). In France, she conducted the Orchestre National de Lyon (Messiaen Turangalîla-Symphonie with David Robertson). Previously, she was the resident conductor of Orchestre Symphonique de Lyon and of the Orchestre de l’Université Claude Bernard and guest at the Orchestre Symphonique Lyon Villeurbanne.
Hélène Bouchez graduated conducting at the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique de Paris (with unanimous highest distinction) and was awarded the “Special Prize Marcel Dautremer”. She also graduated piano at the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique de Lyon (with unanimous highest distinction) where she studied with Roger Muraro and Eric Heidsieck. Hélène Bouchez received a Master’s degree in musicology from the Paris Sorbonne University/ Louis Lumière. Previously, she attended Hypokhâgne and Khâgne in Paris (intensive two years program including philosophy, literature, history, languages).
She is married to pianist Géry Moutier and has two daughters born in 2006 and 2008.
