French composer Thierry Lancino was born in 1954. He studied at the University of Poitiers, and then at the Paris Conservatory, where he was awarded prizes in composition and electroacoustics (1972–77). He was a Lavoisier Scholar and recipient of the Villa Médicis hors les Murs award (French Foreign Ministry, 1979–81, 1983–84). He continued his research work at Stanford University, becoming a specialist in computer sound synthesis, before being offered a position at the Pompidou Centre’s Institute for Research and Coordination in Acoustics/Music (IRCAM) where, between 1981 and 1988, he taught, composed and furthered his research. Lancino considers these years a period of particularly intense and thorough apprenticeship. Eager to broaden and develop his aesthetic vision, he left Paris for Rome, as a fellow of the French Academy at the Villa Medici (formerly “Prix de Rome”, 1988–90). After undertaking a series of extended residencies as a composer, he settled in Manhattan, where he still lives today. In 2007, he was awarded a prestigious Koussevitzky Music Foundations Commission. While Lancino initially focused his creative energies on experimenting with sound phenomena, taking a combined artistic and scientific approach to his work, he has more recently been concentrating on lyrical, colourful and bold writing, with a freedom of style that embraces ideas of both seduction and spirituality. His works have been commissioned by major festivals and leading orchestras in Europe and the United States. Recordings are available on Wergo, K617, Adès-MFA and Naxos.

Thierry Lancino talks about his Requiem recording (CD 8.572771; Naxos Blu-Ray NBD0020)