Frédéric Blanc

He is focused on the French organ tradition and improvisation.

• Born — 1967 • Birthplace — Bordeaux, France • Education — * Conservatoire de Toulouse • Conservatoire de Bordeaux • Occupation — * Organist • composer • academic teacher • Organization — * Notre-Dame d'Auteuil • International Altenberg Organ Academy for Improvisation • Association Maurice et Marie-Madeleine Duruflé

Born in Bordeaux in 1967, Blanc first studied law for a year, then organ at the conservatories of Toulouse and Bordeaux with André Fleury, Marie-Claire Alain, Pierre Cogen and, from 1991, with Marie-Madeleine Duruflé. He lived in the Duruflés' apartmentment after they died, as custodian of their estate, including manuscripts, documents, correspondence, photographs and their library. • Illustration — Organ of Notre-Dame d'Auteuil built by Cavaillé-Coll From 1987 to 1995, he was assistant organist at the Basilica of Saint-Sernin, Toulouse, and from 1993 to 1999 lecturer in organ at the Conservatoire de Bordeaux. He won second prize at the Grand Prix de Chartres in 1996, In 1997, he won the Grand Prix d'improvisation of the international organ competition Concours internationaux de la Ville de Paris. Since 1999, Blanc has been titular organist at Notre-Dame d'Auteuil in Paris which features a Cavaillé-Coll organ. In August 2003, he was a lecturer at the International Altenberg Organ Academy for Improvisation. He is also a member of the organ commission of Paris and a member of the commission for non-historic organs in the music department of the French Ministry of Culture. Blanc has held organ masterclasses, for example at the Royal Academy of Music in London and increasingly at U.S. universities, such as Valparaiso University, Indiana, Stanford University, California, Hope College in Holland, Michigan, Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois, Southern Methodist University in Dallas, the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia, University of Michigan and Arizona State University.

• 1996: Second prize at the Grand Prix de Chartres • 1996: Audience prize at the organ competition of the Internationale Orgelwoche Nürnberg • 1997: Grand Prix d'improvisation, at the international organ competition Concours internationaux de la Ville de Paris