Michel Debost

Michel Debost
Background information
Born(1934-01-20)20 January 1934
Paris, France
Died2 May 2026(2026-05-02) (aged 92)
Levallois, Paris, France
GenreClassical
OccupationsMusician, professor
InstrumentFlute

Michel Debost (French: [dəbɔst]; 20 January 1934 – 2 May 2026) was a French flutist.

Life and career

Born in Paris, he was one of the well known flutists of the French school. He studied under Gaston Crunelle and Marcel Moyse.

Debost won major international competitions. He received first prize at the International Competition in Geneva, as well as at the Prague Spring Festival and the Moscow Festival Competition, and he was awarded second prize at the International Competition in Munich. He was Principal Flute in the Orchestre de Paris from its creation in 1967 until 1989. He replaced Jean-Pierre Rampal as Professor of flute at the Conservatoire de Paris. Debost recorded much flute repertoire on LPs and CD. For several decades, he lived in the United States with his wife Kathleen Chastain, who is also a flutist. He taught at the Oberlin Conservatory of Music in Ohio from 1989–2011.

Debost died in Paris on 2 May 2026, at the age of 92.

Notable students of Debost

  1. Emmanuel Pahud – international soloist, principal flute Berliner Philharmoniker
  2. Leone Buyse – professor at Rice University (ret.)
  3. Claire Chase – international soloist, professor at Harvard University
  4. Molly Barth – former member of eighth blackbird, professor at Vanderbilt University
  5. Brandon Patrick George – member of Imani Winds
  6. Eric Lamb – member of International Contemporary Ensemble

Discography

  1. CONCERTOS POUR FLUTE - CONCERTO POUR FLUTE & HARPE, Mozart. (Michel Debost Flute, Lily Laskine harp, Orchestre de Chambre de Moscou/Rudolf Barshai)
  2. ENTR'ACTE (MUSIC FOR FLUTE AND HARP) Ibert, Berlioz, Faure, Gaubert, Debussy, Ravel
  3. FLUTE PANORAMA, NO.1 (Faulisi) Widor, Reinecke, Gaubert, Karg-Elert, Faure
  4. FLUTE PANORAMA, NO. 2 (Faulisi) Poulenc, Ibert, Sancan, Dutilleux, Messiaen
  5. FLUTE PANORAMA, NO. 3 (Faulisi) Faure, Enesco, Casella, Gaubert, Ganne, Gaubert, Taffanel, Perilhou, Busser
  6. FLUTE PANORAMA, NO. 4
  7. TELEMANN, SIX SONATAS, OP. 2 Sonatas for 2 flutes, with James Galway, cassette only

Bibliography

Notes

  1. 1 2 3 4 "Michel Debost". www2.oberlin.edu. Retrieved 25 October 2024.
  2. ↑ theinstrumenta (17 February 2021). "Michel Debost, Flutist, Teacher, Recording Artist". The Instrumentalist. Retrieved 25 October 2024.
  3. ↑ "Michel Debost - NFA Lifetime Achievement Award". Default. Retrieved 25 October 2024.
  4. ↑ "Michel Debost". www2.oberlin.edu. Retrieved 25 October 2024.
  5. ↑ Emmanuel Pahud and Stéphane Rety
  6. ↑ Amazon search on 'Michel Debost'
  7. ↑ theinstrumenta (17 February 2021). "Michel Debost, Flutist, Teacher, Recording Artist". The Instrumentalist. Retrieved 25 October 2024.
  8. ↑ Oberlin Conservatory magazine Archived 9 January 2013 at the Wayback Machine, 2011
  9. ↑ "In Memoriam: Michel Debost". The Flute View. 3 May 2026. Archived from the original on 3 May 2026. Retrieved 3 May 2026.
  10. ↑ "Emmanuel Pahud". www.berliner-philharmoniker.de. Retrieved 25 October 2024.
  11. ↑ "Intonation with Leon Buyse | tonebase Flute". tonebase. Retrieved 25 October 2024.
  12. 1 2 "Oberlin Conservatory Spring 2002". www2.oberlin.edu. Retrieved 25 October 2024.
  13. ↑ "Claire Chase – Harvard University Department of Music". music.fas.harvard.edu. Retrieved 25 October 2024.
  14. ↑ "Biography". Vanderbilt University. Retrieved 25 October 2024.
  15. ↑ "Brandon Patrick George • Orchestra of St. Luke's". Orchestra of St. Luke's. Retrieved 25 October 2024.
  16. ↑ "Eric Lamb". www.chambersoloistsdetroit.org. Retrieved 25 October 2024.
  17. 1 2 3 4 "Spotify – Web Player". Spotify. Retrieved 25 October 2024.