Pierre-Stéphane Meugé

Born in 1964 in Bordeaux, Pierre-Stéphane Meugé began studying the piano at the age of six in Vannes, Brittany. He continued his studies in harmonic analysis, acoustics, double bass, viola, saxophone, harmony, counterpoint and conducting at the Strasbourg Conservatory.

In 1986 he participated in the seminar on musical phenomenology and conducting with Sergiù Cèlibidache, a life-changing encounter along with that of Emmanuel Nunes, with whom he studied composition at the workshop of instrumental research of IRCAM. He began his studies of improvisation with Vinko Globokar, Derek Bailey and Evan Parker.

In 1988 the International Musikinstitut named him professor of saxophone for the summer courses for New Music in Darmstadt. There he frequented numerous composers, amongst them such great men as John Cage and Morton Feldman, whose influence is ever growing. BBC radio interviewed him for the show Tuningin 1992.

As a soloist, he notably performed Hot by Franco Donatoni with the Ensemble Intercontemporain at the Festival d’Automne in 2007. His numerous premieres include P.S., which Georges Aperghis dedicated to him in 2009. In addition to his work in musical theatre, he has also been active in the field of improvisation and music of our time, collaborating with dancers, actors, pantomimes and film directors.

Since 1999, Pierre-Stéphane Meugé teaches saxophone and chamber music at the Haute Ecole de Musique of Lausanne, where he also runs the workshop in contemporary music.

Photo credit : Isabelle Meister