Mag. Prof.
Francois-Pierre Descamps
François-Pierre Descamps teaches choral and ensemble conducting at Mozarteum University Salzburg (Innsbruck campus). Alongside his teaching, he is active internationally as a conductor, cellist and composer, with a repertoire spanning opera, orchestral music, choral music and chamber music.
Francois-Pierre Descamps began his musical education at the Conservatory of Lille before studying at the Paris Conservatory, the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique de Paris and the École Normale de Musique de Paris. In 1989, he moved to Vienna to continue his studies at the University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna, graduating with distinction in orchestral conducting and completing further studies in choral conducting.
From 1996 to 1997, Descamps served as Kapellmeister of the Vienna Boys' Choir. Since 1999, he has taught choral and ensemble conducting at the Mozarteum, and from 2002 to 2009 he worked as répétiteur at the Children's Opera School of the Vienna State Opera. Since 2000, he has directed the choirs of the Viennese churches Mariahilf and Maria Treu, performing a broad repertoire ranging from the Viennese Classical masters to Schumann, Dvořák, Fauré and Duruflé.
As a cellist, Descamps has performed with numerous ensembles and chamber orchestras. As a conductor, he has worked with orchestras and ensembles including the Tonkünstler Orchestra of Lower Austria, Ensemble Phace, Camerata Orphica, Ensemble Platypus, the Vienna Walzer Orchestra, the Mozart Ensemble, the Prague Mozart Orchestra, the Gheorghe Dima Philharmonic Orchestra in Romania, the Sofia Philharmonic Orchestra and the Orchestre d'Art et d'Essai du Pas-de-Calais. He has collaborated with distinguished soloists including Pierre-Yves Artaud, Aldo Ciccolini, Mario Hossen, Wolfgang Klos, Dominique de Williencourt and Rainer Küchl.
Descamps is also an active composer. His works include orchestral compositions, songs, a cappella choral music, the violin concerto Orphée invaincu (2014), the chamber operas Der vergessene Alchimist (2009), Zumurrud (2011) and Jeanne und Gilles (2018), and the cantatas Pour une nuit sereine (1998/2005) and La prière de Philippe, psaume 144 (2014).