Philippe Cuper

Philippe Cuper is a French clarinetist, born in Lille on April 25, 1957.

He is considered to be one of the best representatives of the current French clarinet school.

Cuper received his early training in Marcq en Baroeul (near Lille) from Gilbert Voisin (who in turn was a disciple of Louis Cahuzac). Cuper also attended various summer schools taught by Jacques Lancelot.

At the age of 20, he was principal clarinet in Paris Concerts Lamoureux Orchestra. He continued studying the clarinet under Guy Dangain as well as studying musicology at the Sorbonne Paris University.

In 1980, Cuper graduated "summa con maxima lauda" from the clarinet class of Guy Deplus at the Paris Conservatoire, he was awarded a "Premier Prix", first named with unanimous vote of the jury for clarinet and also for chamber music in 1981.

He then joined in 1980 the Orchestre de la Garde Republicaine as well as the World Youth Orchestra. All the while he continued to study the clarinet with Henri Druart and consulted with André Boutard and Stanley Drucker.

Philippe Cuper was a winner in many international competitions: 1982 Munich (ARD),1986 Prague, 1979 Viotti, Italy (Vercelli) and won a medal in Geneva (1979), Orvieto, Mravinsky medal in St Petersburg. He has been in the jury of many competitions: Munich, Prague, Beijing (2010),USA Young Artist, Romania (Cluj in 2011)... He organised the first "Louis Cahuzac international competition" in Versailles (2002).

From 1984 he became Principal Clarinet ("Supersoliste") with the Opera national de Paris Orchestra (where he still plays today in 2011).

He played many times as guest principal clarinet with the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra (Tour in South America and concerts in Berlin, on internet in October 2009), la Scala de Milan orchestra (2006), Sinfonia Varsovia, the Bavarian Radio Symphonic orchestra, Orchestre de Paris, French Radio (National and Philarmonic orchestras) and all the contemporary music ensembles in Paris (Ars Nova, Musique Vivante, 2E2M)... He played with all the best conductors: Ozawa, Sawallisch, Abbado, Maazel, Mehta, Boulez, Prêtre, Daniel Barenboim, Christoph von Dohnányi, Valery Gergiev, Esa-Pekka Salonen, Harding, Jurowski, Inbal, Jarvi, Oren, James Conlon, Chung Myung-whun, Armin Jordan, Philippe Jordan...

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