François Sarhan

• Name — François Sarhan • Born — 30 September 1972 • Birthplace — Rouen, France • Known for — music, collages, and animated films

Born in Rouen, Sarhan studied composition with Guy Reibel, Philippe Manoury, Brian Ferneyhough at the Conservatoire de Paris from 1996 to 2000. Sarhan is known for his mixed and ambiguous works, which cross the accepted artforms, often confronting stop-motion animation, performance, text that he realizes himself. He has achieved international recognition over recent years, thanks to his collaboration with William Kentridge, and his solo shows like Lâchez Tout!. His works have performed and broadcast in more than 20 countries and he has received commissions from, among others, Percussions de Strasbourg, Ensemble Modern, Ensemble Recherche, Donaueschinger Musiktage, Ensemble Intercontemporain, and The Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio-France. His output ranges from instrumental music, which typically employs the voice of the performer and electronic elements, to video installations, movies and shows, like The Last Lighthouse Keepers (2013). Other works of particular note include l'Nfer (2005–2006), written a narrator and 8 musicians, based on an autobiographic narrative written by Sarhan; the Encyclopaedia (2008–2014), a multimedia and long-term project which aims to build an alternative scientific description of the world, via collages, stop motion animation, music and books. He was the resident composer at Arsenal concert hall, Metz, (2005–2006), in Orléans (2008–2011). Since 2024 he teaches in the Anton Bruckner University, Linz. He currently lives in VIenna.

• J Svankmajer's magnetic Fields, music theatre show, based on 4 Jan Svankmajer's short movies, 2013 (65') • A King Lear, chamber opera, libretto by Jacques Roubaud, 2010 (90') • Telegrams from the Nose, music theatre show, with William Kentridge (video and staging) for 5 musicians, 2008-2020 (60') • Set, music for dance, with François Raffinot (dance, video and staging) for tape, 2006 (60') • Kyrielle du Sentiment des Choses, chamber opera, libretto by Jacques Roubaud 2002 (65')

• Der Koffer (the Suitcase) featured film (2017–2019) • Prague, short (25mn), 2019 • Lâchez tout, featured film, 2013 • Corps aveugle, short (2012) • La vie des bêtes, animal mockumentary (2011) • l'Orgue Accord, stop motion animation (2008) • Interludio Erotico, stop motion animation (2008) • Joséphine, stop motion animation (2008)

• La Musique au chateau de Chambord, (2014) • Wandering Rocks, for four electric guitars and 24 loudspeakers, 2014 (40') • Glaçon in Oslo (2011) • Le Grand Crwth, (2002)

* • filmed interview