Born in France in 1954, is a tubist, conductor, and composer.
He studied the tuba at the Conservatoire de Strasbourg with Joseph Vaillant, at the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Paris, and musicology at the Strasbourg University. In addition he studied composition with Claude Ballif and Franco Donatoni.
Tuba
As an instrumentalist, he has participated in numerous premieres and has appeared regularly as a soloist at all leading festivals for contemporary music. He frequently played with the Orchestre Philharmonique de Strasbourg, the Orchestre de Paris, the Orchestre National de France, and the Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France, as well as various jazz groups.
From 1976 to 2001 he was the tuba player of the “Ensemble InterContemporain”. During this time he also worked on several research projects at the Ircam Centre. He is the author of a book on the “contemporary tuba” (funded by the French cultural ministry). He performed several times Helmut Lachenmann’s tuba concerto especially with the Symphony Orchestra of the Hessiche Rundfunk in Frankfurt and the Philharmonia (Helsinki).
Teaching
His teaching is inspired by coordination and breathing techniques developed by Jacques Dropsy.
Gérard Buquet taught chamber music at the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique in Paris from 1997 to 1999, and then obtained the position as tuba professor there in 1999 until June 2022.
From 2000 until 2018 he holded a professorship as director of the “Ensemble für Neue Musik” at the Musikhochschule in Karlsruhe, Germany, as successor of Peter Eötvös.
From 2013 until June 2022 he taught new music for all the wind instruments family at the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique in Paris.
Conducting
In 2007 he conducted “Les Etudes d’après Séraphin” by Wolfgang Rihm, for the 10th anniversary of the ZKM, with the Ensemble für Neue Musik of the Musikhochschule Karlsruhe, and the Ballet “Badisches Staatstheater”. In 2008 he conducted a concert devoted to the harp repertoire at the ZKM (Ensemble für Neue Musik, Karlsruhe, soloist: Frédérique Cambreling).
The same year he conducted a concert “Messiaen and his students” at the Olivier Messiaen Festival in Karlsruhe.
In March 2012, Gérard Buquet conducted six world premieres in Karlsruhe, celebrating Wolfgang Rihm’s 60th Birthday (Coproduction HFG and SWR).
Composition
Lately Gérard Buquet is devoting increasing time to composing – 2002, “AdVerb” for solo cello and electronics, premiered at Radio France, Paris, and recorded by the cellist Eva Böcker (Ensemble Modern) for her CD ‚Spoken Tones’ (Coproduction Ensemble Modern Medien and Hessischer Rundfunk).
2005, “Les danses du temps”, written for the musicians of the Ensemble InterContemporain, and premiered at the Ircam Centre in Paris. This work has been performed by Ensemble Modern at the Alte Oper in Frankfurt, and the Klangforum of Vienna in 2011, at the Vienna Konzerthaus and the Cologne Philharmonie.
2009 “L’astre échevelé” (commissioned by IRCAM) for soprano saxophone and electronics, premiered by Marcus Weiß at the Ircam Centre in Paris.
In 2010 the Slovenian woodwind quintet ”Slowind” and the bass clarinetist Dominque Clement (Ensemble Aleph) premiered his piece “L'engle des forces” as part of the European music project “LAB” in Ljubljana, Paris, Cluny, and Riga.
He composed “Die Malerin von Bellevue” for 6 female singers and 6 instruments, which has been premiered in Heidelberg on February 25th, 2012, and subsequently recorded by the WDR, with the Schola Cantorum and the Ensemble Aesthesis of Heidelberg, directed by Walter Nussbaum, as part of their “Prinzhorn” project.
Gérard Buquet composed a double concerto for 2 harps and orchestra for the Stuttgart Radio Symphony Orchestra and Frédérique Cambreling and Marianne Lementec as soloists. The premiere took place on 21st November 2013 in Stuttgart.
His solo works have been performed by soloists as Marcus Weiss: saxophone, Vincent David: saxophone, Eva Böcker: cello, Delphine Biron: cello, Frédérique Cambreling: harpe, Elisa Humanes: percussions, Claude Barthélémy: guitare
Gerard Buquet composed also pedagogic works for Ensemble, trombone, tuba especially “con voce” for solo tuba (2019) commissioned by the Geneva International tuba competition.