François-Henri Jacques-Marie Robert Houbart (born 26 December 1952) is a French church and concert

organist An organist is a musician who plays any type of organ (music), organ. An organist may play organ repertoire, solo organ works, play with an musical ensemble, ensemble or orchestra, or accompany one or more singers or instrumentalist, instrumental ...

, improviser, composer of

classical music Classical music generally refers to the art music of the Western world, considered to be distinct from Western folk music or popular music traditions. It is sometimes distinguished as Western classical music, as the term "classical music" also ...

, and

pedagogue Pedagogy (), most commonly understood as the approach to teaching, is the theory and practice of learning, and how this process influences, and is influenced by, the social, political and psychological development of learners. Pedagogy, taken as ...

. He is often considered one of France's finest organists.

Biography

Houbart was born in

Orléans Orléans (;"Orleans"
(US) and Loiret Loiret (; ) is a department in the Centre-Val de Loire region of north-central France. It takes its name from the river Loiret, which is contained wholly within the department. In 2019, Loiret had a population of 680,434.

department. He first took up piano lessons at the age of seven and organ at the age of eleven. He later received his musical education from

Michel Chapuis Michel Chapuis (born 18 June 1941) is a French sprint canoer who competed in the early 1960s. He won the silver medal in the C-2 1000 m event at the 1964 Summer Olympics in Tokyo Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metrop ...

, Suzanne Chaisemartin, Pierre Lantier,

Jean Guillou Jean Victor Arthur Guillou (18 April 1930 – 26 January 2019) was a French composer, organist, pianist, and pedagogue. Titular Organist at Saint Eustache in Paris, from 1963 to 2015, he was widely known as a composer of instrumental and vocal ...

, and Pierre Cochereau. He has been organiste titulaire of the grand organ at the Église de la Madeleine, in Paris since 1979, succeeding Odile Pierre, and taught organ at the Orléans Academy of Music from 1980 to 2000 (succeeding Marie-Claire Alain). He is an Officier of l'

Ordre des Arts et des Lettres The ''Ordre des Arts et des Lettres'' (Order of Arts and Letters) is an order of France established on 2 May 1957 by the Minister of Culture. Its supplementary status to the was confirmed by President Charles de Gaulle in 1963. Its purpose is ...

, and is also a recipient of the Médaille de Vermeil de la Ville de Paris. He is also an organ soloist with Radio France. Houbart is a renowned improviser and has given over 1,300 concerts across three continents: Asia, North America, and Europe. Improvisation is a large factor in his recitals. Additionally, he has written two essays regarding the grand organ of

Orléans Cathedral Orléans Cathedral ( French: ''Basilique Cathédrale Sainte-Croix d'Orléans'') is a Roman Catholic church located in the city of Orléans, France. The cathedral is the seat of the Bishop of Orléans. It was originally built from 1278 to 1329. It ...

in his hometown. He was nominated for a

Grammy Award The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pres ...

for an album with the works of

Nadia Boulanger Juliette Nadia Boulanger (; 16 September 188722 October 1979) was a French music teacher and conductor. She taught many of the leading composers and musicians of the 20th century, and also performed occasionally as a pianist and organist. From a ...

that he participated in, recorded at La Madeleine; in January 2018.

References

1952 births French classical organists French male organists Living people Musicians from Orléans Officiers of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres Chevaliers of the Légion d'honneur 21st-century organists Male classical organists {{organist-stub