Alain Pâris

An assistant to Michel Plasson at the Capitole de Toulouse, he was principal conductor at the Opéra du Rhin (1983–1987) and professor of conducting at the conservatoire de Strasbourg (1986–89). He conducts most of the major French orchestras (Orchestre de Paris, Radio France orchestras, Lyon, Strasbourg, Lille...) and develops an international career, notably as a regular guest of the St. Petersburg Capella(1993–1999), the Bilkent Symphony Orchestra in Ankara (1998–2000), the George Enescu Philharmonic Orchestra (1999–2011), the Athens State Orchestra (2002–2004), the Lebanese National Symphony Orchestra (since 2002).

Sought after for his knowledge of the French repertoire, he also gives masterclasses in all these countries and sits on juries for international competitions. He created or directed the first audition of works by Philippe Chamouard, Hugues Dufourt, Mikołaj Górecki, Iyad Kanaan, Bechara El-Khoury, Bruce Mather, Piotr Moss, Tristan Murail, Jacques Offenbach, Luis de Pablo, Yoshihisa Taïra, Tōru Takemitsu. In addition to his career as a conductor, he was also a producer of musical programs on France Musique and France Culture from 1971 to 2010. Musical director of the Pro Musicis musical season and president of the Pro Musicis competition between 2013 and 2016, he is involved in sharing music with underprivileged audiences. Since 2016, he has been artistic director of the ESA Music Festival in Beirut.

Born in Paris, Alain Pâris was trained as a pianist and has a law degree. He studied conducting with Pierre Dervaux, Paul Paray and Georg Solti and won the First prize at the International Besançon Competition for Young Conductors in 1968. For thirty-seven years, he was the youngest winner before Lionel Bringuier took his place.

Alain Pâris (born 22 November 1947) is a French conductor and musicologist.