Jean-François Zygel (born 23 November 1960) is a French pianist,

improviser Improvisation is the activity of making or doing something not planned beforehand, using whatever can be found. Improvisation in the performing arts is a very spontaneous performance without specific or scripted preparation. The skills of impr ...

, composer and improvisation teacher for piano at the

Conservatoire de Paris The Conservatoire de Paris (), also known as the Paris Conservatory, is a college of music and dance founded in 1795. Officially known as the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique et de Danse de Paris (CNSMDP), it is situated in the avenue ...

. Born in Paris, he is also known for his work in introducing classical music on television and radio. Zygel's music is nourished by synagogue

cantillation Cantillation is the ritual chanting of prayers and responses. It often specifically refers to Jewish Hebrew cantillation. Cantillation sometimes refers to diacritics used in texts that are to be chanted in liturgy. Cantillation includes: * Chant ...

. Two of his great-grandfathers were hazzanim in Poland.

Awards

* Chevalier de la Légion d'honneur (2015). * Chevaliers of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres. * Chevalier de l'Ordre national du Mérite (2006).

On France Inter

At the beginning of 2015,

France Inter France Inter () is a major French public radio channel and part of Radio France. It is a " generalist" station, aiming to provide a wide national audience with a full service of news and spoken-word programming, both serious and entertaining, li ...

entrusted him with a weekly programme entitled ''La Preuve par Z''. The composer evokes and explains the great composers, with long excerpts from concerts in support.

On France Télévisions

On 31 August 2017, Zygel presented "Zygel Académie" on

France 2 France 2 () is a French public national television channel. It is part of the state-owned France Télévisions group, along with France 3, France 4 and France 5. France Télévisions also participates in Arte and Euronews. Since 3:20 CET on 7 A ...

, a show where celebrities discover classical music. It has 601,000 viewers, or 7.3% of the audience.Audiences : La "Zygel Académie" de Jean-François Zygel démarre bien sur France 2
on ''PureMédias'', 1 September 2017.

Publications

* ''Quand du stérile hiver a resplendi l'ennui ... Conditions d'existence du langage musical'', in '' Le Débat'', issue 82, November–December 1994, .

Bibliography

* Interview by B. Dermoncourt, in '' Classica-Repertoire'', February 2008, . * "Z comme Jean-François Zygel : la musique sort de sa boîte", in ''Improvisation ''so'' piano'',

Jean-Pierre Thiollet Jean-Pierre Thiollet (; born 9 December 1956) is a French writer and journalist. Primarily living in Paris, he is the author of numerous books and one of the national leaders of the European Confederation of Independent Trade Unions (CEDI), a ...

, Neva Éditions, 2017, .

References

External links

La Leçon de Musique ( Zygel) - Chopin et la mélodie
(YouTube) {{DEFAULTSORT:Zygel, Jean-Francois 1960 births 20th-century French composers 21st-century French composers Academic staff of the Conservatoire de Paris Knights of the Legion of Honour Chevaliers of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres Conservatoire de Paris alumni Knights of the Ordre national du Mérite Living people French radio presenters French television presenters Musicians from Paris