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← Artists · Seoul Winter Music Festival 2027

Patrick GalloisFlautist & Conductor

Heir to the French flute school,
painting an orchestra with a single melodic line

Flute · ConductorFrance2027 Nova Lux Main Artist

Patrick Gallois is a world-renowned French flautist and conductor who holds a singular place in today's musical world

Carrying the legendary tradition of the French flute school into the present day, Gallois is regarded as a 'living master' who has reached the summit in both fields, as performer and as conductor

Mr. Gallois has a lovely sound, beguiling phrasing and especially clean articulation.

– New York Concert Review

Profile

Born1956, Linselles, near Lille, France
EducationConservatoire National Supérieur de Musique et de Danse de Paris (CNSMDP) – entered at 17 and within two years won First Prizes (Premier Prix) in both flute and chamber music
TeachersJean-Pierre Rampal · Guy Costanzo

Career

  • Age 16Professional debut – principal flute of the Orchestre National de Lille
  • 1977Appointed by Lorin Maazel as principal flute of the Orchestre National de France at 21 – one of the youngest on record. Served until 1984, performing with Boulez, Ozawa and Karl Böhm and receiving direct guidance from Bernstein and Celibidache
  • 1984Resigned the principal post to pursue a full-time solo career – touring Europe, Japan and the USA
  • 1990s–presentExpanded activity as a 'Player-Conductor', combining performing and conducting
  • 2003–2012Music Director and Artistic Director of Sinfonia Finlandia Jyväskylä (Finland)
  • 2025–2027Main Artist and Adviser, Seoul Winter Music Festival (SWMF)

Discography

  • 1984Japanese debut album (Mozart concertos) – 100,000 copies sold within a year
  • 1991–presentExclusive contract with Deutsche Grammophon, more than 10 albums – including the complete Vivaldi flute concertos (1993)
  • 2010s–presentMore than 40 recordings under an exclusive contract with Naxos – including “French Flute Music” (2003)
  • Dedicatee of flute concertos by contemporary composers including Eric Tanguy, Aulis Sallinen and Kai Nieminen

Teaching & Juries

  • Professor at the Folkwang University of the Arts, Essen, Germany (2010s–present)
  • Flute professor at the Accademia Musicale Chigiana, Siena, Italy · regular masterclasses at the Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity, Canada
  • Has served as jury president at major international competitions worldwide