About
Pierre Bibault is a versatile classical and electric guitarist, recognized for his virtuosity, innovative interpretation, and dedication to contemporary music. Trained as a classical musician, he is both a soloist, chamber musician, and researcher, specializing in the most demanding and avant-garde repertoires.
Throughout his career, Pierre Bibault has performed in over 25 countries, playing in iconic venues such as Radio France, the Philharmonie de Paris, Walt Disney Hall in Los Angeles, the Musikverein in Vienna, the Elbphilharmonie in Hamburg, Wigmore Hall in London, Prinzregententheater in Munich, Flagey in Brussels, Salle Bourgie in Montreal, De Bijloke in Ghent, Seiji Ozawa Hall in Tanglewood, and the Fondation Maeght, among many others.
Pierre Bibault’s solo work bridges tradition and innovation, combining written scores with improvisation, electronics, and real-time sound processing. His projects include Sequences (centered on Luciano Berio’s Sequenza XI), Creations (new commissions), Bibault meets Moultaka, Mirrors (featuring works by Murail, Romitelli, and Dufourt), and The Steve Reich Guitar Project. The latter, released in 2021, was endorsed by Steve Reich and has amassed over 200,000 streams. His version of Nagoya Guitars is featured in the official Essential Steve Reich playlist, and Electric Counterpoint was voted “best version” by France Musique listeners in 2024.
In 2025, he premiered Planetary System(ic) Extraction by Jessie Cox following a Harvard residency, performed at the Ear to the Ground Festival in Ghent, Belgium, and premiered Passacaille by Thierry Pécou, a major new solo work dedicated to him. He also performed the complete works by Pierre Boulez featuring the guitar in a European tour with Orchestre Les Siècles and at the ICA in Boston with Ensemble Sound Icon, as part of the Boulez centenary.
In 2024, he collaborated with choreographers Gerard & Kelly at the Fondation Maeght in a multidisciplinary performance featuring Reich, Berio, and Albéniz. He was also invited to the Tanglewood Music Center’s Contemporary Music Festival, where he presented his approach to modern guitar to an international audience.
An active collaborator with major ensembles, Bibault has performed with Klangforum Wien, Ensemble Intercontemporain, Ensemble 2E2M, InSoliTus, Sound Icon, Uproar, and the Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France.
With Ensemble Intercontemporain, he has worked closely with composers including Olga Neuwirth, Rebecca Saunders, Helmut Lachenmann, and James Dillon, among others. He has performed classical and electric guitar in a repertoire ranging from Frank Zappa’s psychedelic rock to film music, such as Die Stadt ohne Juden by Olga Neuwirth, recorded for Arte/ZDF. In 2019, he was soloist for the French premiere of Hans Werner Henze’s Ode an Eine Äolsharfe at the Philharmonie de Paris under Brad Lubman. Since 2017, he has performed regularly with Ensemble Variances, led by Thierry Pécou, and appears on the album Humain non Humain.
Also a composer, Bibault leads original projects such as EaLC (Electroacoustic Live Composition) and Still HI, which explores interaction between human and artificial intelligence in live performance. His upcoming album Metal revisits his early influences through a contemporary lens.
Artistic Director of the Festival International de Guitare en Béarn since 2016, he is now based in Boston, where he balances international performing with teaching and mentoring young musicians.
He holds a Ph.D. in Arts with a dissertation on gesture in the music of Zad Moultaka, and three Master’s degrees in Performance, Musicology, and Pedagogy.
He is a Vigier Guitars Artist since 2011 and a D’Addario Artist since 2025.
Pierre Bibault est un guitariste classique et électrique aux multiples facettes, reconnu pour sa virtuosité, son interprétation innovante et son engagement dans la musique contemporaine. Musicien de formation classique, il est à la fois soliste, chambriste et chercheur, spécialisé dans les répertoires les plus exigeants et avant-gardistes.
Au cours de sa carrière, Pierre Bibault a joué dans plus de 25 pays, se produisant dans des lieux emblématiques tels que Radio France, la Philharmonie de Paris, le Walt Disney Hall de Los Angeles, le Musikverein de Vienne, l’Elbphilharmonie de Hambourg, le Wigmore Hall de Londres, le Prinzregententheater de Munich, Flagey à Bruxelles, la Salle Bourgie à Montréal, De Bijloke à Gand, le Seiji Ozawa Hall de Tanglewood, et la Fondation Maeght, parmi bien d’autres.
En tant que soliste, Pierre Bibault établit un pont entre tradition et innovation, mêlant partitions écrites, improvisation, électronique et traitement sonore en temps réel. Parmi ses projets figurent Sequences (autour de la Sequenza XI de Luciano Berio), Creations (commandes d’œuvres nouvelles), Bibault meets Moultaka, Mirrors (avec des œuvres de Murail, Romitelli et Dufourt), ainsi que The Steve Reich Guitar Project. Ce dernier, paru en 2021, a reçu le soutien officiel de Steve Reich et a dépassé les 200 000 écoutes en streaming. Sa version de Nagoya Guitars figure dans la playlist officielle Essential Steve Reich, et Electric Counterpoint a été élue “meilleure version” par les auditeurs de France Musique en 2024.
En 2025, il crée Planetary System(ic) Extraction de Jessie Cox, à l’issue d’une résidence à Harvard, puis l’interprète au festival Ear to the Ground à Gand (Belgique). La même année, il crée également Passacaille, œuvre pour guitare solo de Thierry Pécou écrite spécialement pour lui. Il interprète également l’intégrale des œuvres de Pierre Boulez comportant la guitare lors d’une tournée européenne avec l’Orchestre Les Siècles, ainsi qu’à Boston, au sein de l’Institute for Contemporary Art, avec l’Ensemble Sound Icon, dans le cadre du centenaire Boulez.
En 2024, il a collaboré avec les chorégraphes Gerard & Kelly, à la Fondation Maeght, dans un projet qui a fusionné musique et danse, autour d’œuvres de Steve Reich, Luciano Berio et Isaac Albéniz.
Le même mois, il a été invité au prestigieux Festival de Tanglewood pour la semaine du Festival de Musique Contemporaine, sous l’égide du Tanglewood Music Center, où il a partagé son approche novatrice de la guitare contemporaine avec un public international.
Collaborateur actif de nombreux ensembles de renom, Pierre Bibault s’est produit avec le Klangforum Wien, l’Ensemble Intercontemporain, l’Ensemble 2E2M, InSoliTus, Sound Icon (Boston), Uproar (Pays de Galles) et l’Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France.
Avec l’Ensemble Intercontemporain, il a travaillé en étroite collaboration avec des compositeurs tels qu’Olga Neuwirth, Rebecca Saunders, Helmut Lachenmann et James Dillon, entre autres. Il y a interprété des œuvres pour guitare classique et électrique, dans un répertoire allant du rock psychédélique de Frank Zappa à la musique de film, comme Die Stadt ohne Juden d’Olga Neuwirth, enregistrée pour Arte/ZDF. En 2019, il est soliste pour la première française de Ode an Eine Äolsharfe de Hans Werner Henze à la Philharmonie de Paris, sous la direction de Brad Lubman. Depuis 2017, il collabore régulièrement avec l’Ensemble Variances dirigé par Thierry Pécou, et figure sur l’album Humain non Humain.
Pierre Bibault est aussi actif en tant que compositeur, avec des projets tels que EaLC (Electroacoustic Live Composition) et Still HI (collaboration entre l’Intelligence Humaine et l’Intelligence Artificielle), ainsi qu’un album en préparation intitulé Metal, qui revient sur ses premières influences musicales.
De 2016 à 2024, il est Directeur Artistique du Festival International de Guitare en Béarn.
Il est titulaire d’un Doctorat en Arts, avec une thèse consacrée au geste dans la musique pour guitare solo de Zad Moultaka, ainsi que de trois Masters en Interprétation, Musicologie et Pédagogie.
Actuellement basé à Boston, il se consacre à sa carrière artistique, tout en donnant régulièrement des masterclasses et des conférences à travers le monde.
Il est artiste Vigier Guitars depuis 2011 et artiste D’Addario depuis 2025.
Electric Guitar: (e.g.) | Classical Guitar: (c.g.) | Bass Guitar: (e.bass g.)
BERIO Luciano
Sequenza XI
per chitarra sola (c.g.)
D’ANGELO Nuccio
Due Canzoni Lidie (c.g.)
DUFOURT Hugues
La Cité des Saules, for electric guitar and sound transformation (e.g.)
HOLMES Jeffrey
Jörmunr (c.g.)
dedicated to Pierre Bibault
IANNI Davide
[NI] (e.g.)
MOULTAKA Zad
– Calvario, for guitar and electronics (c.g.)
– Kahraba, for electric guitar and electroacoustics (e.g.), commissioned by Pierre Bibault and Onoma
– Ordo ab chao, for guitar and electronics (c.g.), dedicated to Pierre Bibault
MURAIL Tristan
– Tellur (c.g.)
– Vampyr! (e.g.)
OHANA Maurice
Tiento (c.g.)
PECOU Thierry
– Flux, Eclats, Orient (c.g.)
– Passacaille (c.g.), dedicated to Pierre Bibault, premiered at Salle Cortot, Paris, on March 31, 2025
REICH Steve
– Electric Counterpoint (e.g. + tape)
– Electric Guitar Phase (e.g. + tape)
– Nagoya Guitars (e.g. + tape)
– Clapping Music
ROMITELLI Fausto
– Solare (c.g.)
– Trash TV Trance, for electric guitar, effects and sampler (e.g.)
ANDRIESSEN Louis
Life (e.g.)
BENJAMIN Georges
Sometimes Voices (banjo)
BOULEZ Pierre
Éclat/Multiples (c.g.)
Le Marteau sans maître (c.g.)
Pli selon pli (c.g.)
BRANCA Glenn
Symphony n°16 “Orgasm”, for 100 electric guitars (e.g.)
BRAUD Augustin
Cornucopia (e.g.)
BRAXTON Tyondai
Fly by Wire (e.g.)
CAGE John
Once Upon a Time (e.g.)
CHASALOW Eric
Muriel’s Songs (e.g. + c.g.)
CHOI Yeni
On the boat (c.g.)
DAZZI Gualtiero
Madrigali (e.g.)
DILLON James
Tanz / Haus Triptych (e.g.)
FREEMAN Branch
Adult Entertainment (e.g.)
GLASS Philip
Façades (e.g.)
Music in Similar Motion (e.g.)
GOLIJOV Osvaldo
Ayre (c.g. + ronroco or c.g. + e.g.)
HENZE Hans Werner
Ode An Eine Äolsharfe (concerto), music for concertante Guitar (c.g.) and 15 solo instruments (French Premiere with Ensemble Intercontemporain, December 2019)
HOLMES Jeffrey
Kaun (Kenaz) (c.g.) (World Premiere with Ensemble Variances, 2022)
KORDA Josephine
Mycelium (c.g.)
LACHENMANN Helmut
Concertini (c.g.)
LEWIS Andrew
Canzon in Double Echo (e.g.)
LEWIS George
float, sting (e.g.)
MÂCHE François-Bernard
Vigiles (c.g.) (World Premiere with Ensemble Variances)
MARINISSEN Arnold
Métisse (e.g.) (World Premiere with Ensemble Variances)
MERCANTI Gabriele
Clepsamia (c.g.)
MONDON Nicolas
Daily Colotomy (c.g.)
MORGAN-WILLIAMS Bethan
Devil’s Elbow (e.g.)
MOULTAKA Zad
Anath (c.g.)
NEUWIRTH Olga
– Die Stadt Ohne Juden (e.g.) (World Premiere with Ensemble Intercontemporain)
– Hommage à Klaus Nomi (e.g.)
– Le Encantadas (e.g.)
– The Outcast (e.g.) (French Premiere with Ensemble Intercontemporain)
– Eleanor (concerto), for Blues Singer, Drum-kit, Electric Guitar and Ensemble (e.g.)
PECOU Thierry
– Méditation sur la fin de l’espèce (e.g.) (World Premiere with Ensemble Variances)
– Until the Lions (e.g.)
– Byar (e.bass g.)
REICH Steve
Pulse (e.bass g.)
RIHM Wolfgang
Jagden und Formen (c.g + e.bass g.)
ROMITELLI Fausto
– Professor Bad Trip, Lesson I (e.g.)
– Professor Bad Trip, Lesson III (e.g.)
– Audiodrome, Dead City Radio (e.g.)
SAARIAHO Kaija
– Tempest Songbook (c.g.)
SAUNDERS Rebecca
– Scar (World Premiere with EIC, 2019) (e.g.)
– Wound (World Premiere with EIC, 2022 | Austrian Premiere with Klangforum Wien, 2023) (e.g.)
STOCKHAUSEN Karlheinz
– Aus den sieben Tagen (e.g.)
– Tierkreis (e.g.)
SYRSE Diana
– Mi Canto (e.g.)
ZAPPA Frank
– Get Whitey (c.g.)
– G-Spot Tornado (e.g.)
– The Dog Breath Variations (banjo)
ZOHN-MULDOON Ricardo
– Comala Suite (c.g.)
Chamber Music
BOWMAN Max
Sonata, for classical guitar (c.g.) and cello
CAGE John
Story (Once upon a time)
COX Jessie (co-composed by Maarten STRAGIER & Pierre BIBAULT)
Planetary System(ic) Extraction
CRUMB Georges
Mundus Canis, for (c.g.) and percussions
GINASTERA Alberto
Suite de Danzas Criollas, Op. 15
HOLMES Jeffrey
Danzleikr Sonata, dedicated to Duo Resonances
LACHENMANN Helmut
Salut für Caudwell for two guitarists (c.g.)
MÂCHE François-Bernard
Vigiles (c.g.) (World Premiere with Ensemble Variances)
MARINISSEN Arnold
– Mestre Claudinei, for (c.g.) and cello
MENDOZA Elena
Lo que nunca dijo nadie, for (c.g.) and violin (c.g.)
PIERRE-PETIT
Toccata
STOCKHAUSEN Karlheinz
– Aus den sieben Tagen (e.g.)
– Tierkreis (e.g.)
TAKEMITSU Toru
Toward the sea, for classical guitar and flute (c.g.)
Projects
I cultivate a diverse portfolio within Contemporary Music, spanning four key areas. My solo projects showcase explorative interpretations of diverse contemporary composers, while my compositions venture reveal a keen ability to innovate. Collaborations with Ensembles highlight a commitment to collective artistry, and my chamber music projects exemplify an intimate dialogue between instruments. Together, these endeavors encapsulate my multifaceted approach to the modern music landscape.
Solo Projects
Sequences
Reconstructing Luciano Berio's Sequenza XI
Creations
New Music Commissioning
The Steve Reich Guitar Project
Complete works for guitar by Steve Reich
Bibault meets Moultaka
Diving into the music of a composer-plastician
Mirrors
Featuring works by Murail, Romitelli, Dufourt
Composition Projects
Collaborations with Ensembles
Ensemble IntercontemporainKlangforum Wien (Vienna, Austria)Ensemble VariancesEnsemble 2E2MInSoliTusSound Icon (Boston, USA)Uproar (Wales, UK)Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France
Chamber Music Projects
Duo Bibault Stragier
2 classical | 2 electric guitars
... and more to come
Schedule
Season 2024-2025
2—6 September 2024
Studio Sessions
Composing and recording songs for a new Metal album
To be released in 2025
A bolt from the Blue Studios, Cambridge, USA
9—13 September 2024
Studio Sessions
Composing and recording songs for a new Metal album
To be released in 2025
A bolt from the Blue Studios, Cambridge, USA
10 October 2024
Interview on France Musique by Sébastien Llinares
About ‘Sequenza XI’ by Luciano Berio
Radio France, Paris
11 October 2024
Residence with composer Michelle-Agnès Magalhaes
Collaboration on a new piece for guitar
More details TBA
Paris
14 October 2024
Residence with composer Augustin Braud
Collaboration on a new piece for guitar
More details TBA
Paris
15 October 2024
Residence #1 with composer Frederic Durieux
Collaboration on the guitar / electroacoustics sounds for the composer’s new piece for Ensemble and Choir
To be premiere at Fondation Royaumont on October 5, 2025
Ircam, Paris
1 November 2024
Release of the video ‘Sequenza XI’ by Luciano Berio, performed by Pierre Bibault
on the YouTube channel Arpeggio Films
Directed by Julien Hanck
18—25 November 2024
Residence with Maarten Stragier (guitar) and composer Jessie Cox
Work on “Planetary System(ic) Extraction” for two electric guitars and real time video projection (AstriaGraph)
Harvard University, USA
7 December 2024
Premiere of “Planetary System(ic) Extraction” for two electric guitars by composer Jessie Cox, co-composed by Maarten Stragier and Pierre Bibault
De Bijloke, Gand, Belgium
16—21 December 2024
Residence / rehearsals with Orchestre Les Siècles
Conducted by Franck Ollu
Music by Pierre Boulez:
– ‘eclats / multiples’
– ‘Pli Selon Pli’
with Soprano Sarah Aristidou
Paris, France
2—4 January 2025
Residence / rehearsals with Orchestre Les Siècles
Conducted by Franck Ollu
Music by Pierre Boulez:
– ‘eclats / multiples’
– ‘Pli Selon Pli’
with Soprano Sarah Aristidou
Paris, France
5—9 January 2025
Concerts Tour with Orchestre Les Siècles
Conducted by Franck Ollu
Music by Pierre Boulez:
– ‘eclats / multiples’
– ‘Pli Selon Pli’
with Soprano Sarah Aristidou
5 January: Théâtre Municipal, Tourcoing, France
6 January: De Bijloke, Ghent, Belgium
7 January: Théâtre des Champs-Elysées, Paris
8 January: rehearsals, Paris
9 January: Musica Viva, Munich, Germany
19—23 January 2025
Residence / rehearsals with Ensemble Sound Icon
Conducted by Jeffrey Means
‘Le Marteau sans maître’ by Pierre Boulez
Boston University, Boston, USA
24 January 2025
Concert with Ensemble Sound Icon
Conducted by Jeffrey Means
‘Le Marteau sans maître’ by Pierre Boulez
Institute for Contemporary Art (ICA), Boston
12 February 2025
Lecture “Innovative Guitar Writing: Techniques & Aesthetics for Today’s Composers”
Invited by Richard Carrick and the Berklee Composition Department
See the event
Berklee College of Music, Boston
13-15 February 2025
Solo Concert, Masterclass and Workshop
Coastal Guitar Retreat
w/ Prof. Scott Borg, Adam Levin and Ceili Connors
Charleston, Rhode Island
10 March 2025
Solo Concert
“[NI]” by Davide Ianni, for electric guitar
New England Conservatory, Boston, USA
23-26 March 2025
POSTPONED
Solo Concert + Masterclass
Prof. Mak Grgic Guitar Studio
Columbia University, South Carolina, USA
28–30 March 2025
Residence w/ Ensemble Variances (FR) and Ensemble Paramirabo (QC)
Conducted by Thierry Pécou
“Pulse” by Steve Reich (e.bass. g.)
“Byar” by Thierry Pécou (e.bass. g.)
“Passacaille” by Thierry Pécou (c.g.), for solo guitar, dedicated to Pierre Bibault
Rouen, France
31 March 2025
Concert w/ Ensemble Variances (FR) and Ensemble Paramirabo (QC)
Conducted by Thierry Pécou
“Pulse” by Steve Reich (e.bass. g.)
“Byar” by Thierry Pécou (e.bass. g.)
“Passacaille” by Thierry Pécou (c.g.), for solo guitar, dedicated to Pierre Bibault, World Premiere
Salle Cortot, Paris
2 April 2025
Concert w/ Ensemble Variances (FR) and Ensemble Paramirabo (QC)
Conducted by Thierry Pécou
“Pulse” by Steve Reich (e.bass. g.)
“Byar” by Thierry Pécou (e.bass. g.)
“Passacaille” by Thierry Pécou (c.g.), for solo guitar, dedicated to Pierre Bibault, World Premiere
Théâtre de Caen, France
7 June 2025
CANCELLED
Concert with Orchestre Les Siècles
Conducted by Franck Ollu
Music by Pierre Boulez:
– “eclats / multiples”
– “Pli Selon Pli”
with Soprano Sarah Aristidou
Festspielhaus, Baden-Baden, Germany
7 July 2025
Residence #2 with composer Frederic Durieux
Collaboration on the guitar / electroacoustics sounds for the composer’s new piece for Ensemble and Choir
To be premiere at Fondation Royaumont, October 5, 2025
Ircam, Paris
12-15 July 2025
CANCELLED
The Festival International de Guitare en Béarn becomes the Festival International de Guitare à Luchon
8th Edition
Luchon (FR)
9 to 27 July 2025
Residence at Tanglewood Festival
Concerts on July 12, 24 and 26
“Ayre” (c.g. + ronroco or e.g.) by Osvaldo GOLIJOV
“Mi Canto” (e.g.) by Diana SYRSE
“Comala Suite” (c.g.) by Ricardo ZOHN-MULDOON
Click here for more info
Tanglewood Music Center, Lenox, MA, USA
9 to 17 August 2025
Residence at Tanglewood Festival
Concert on August 17
“Adult Entertainment” (e.g.) by Branch FREEMAN
Click here for more info
Tanglewood Music Center, Lenox, MA, USA
1—5 September 2025
Concert with Orchestre Les Siècles
Conducted by Franck Ollu
Music by Pierre Boulez:
– “Pli Selon Pli”
with Soprano Sarah Aristidou
31 August: rehearsals, Paris
7 September: Musikfest, Berlin Philharmonie, Germany
5 October 2025
Premiere of Frédéric Durieux’s ‘Sammlung’, for 6 voices, ensemble & electronic
With Ensemble Semblance & Schola Heidelberg
Conducted by Walter Nußbaum
Texts from the Prinzhorn collection (Heidelberg)
Electronic technology & sounds IRCAM
Serge Lemouton, Computer sound design
Royaumont Abbey, Asnières-sur-Oise, France
https://www.royaumont.com/en/
Video
Discography
Steve Reich
Pierre Bibault, guitar
Release: October 1, 2021
Genre: Contemporary Music, Solo Electric Guitar
Program: Nagoya Guitars, Electric Counterpoint, Electric Guitar Phase, Clapping Music
Music Company: IndéSens Records
Artistic Direction: Pierre Bibault
Photos: Cover: © Catherine Peillon, 2008 | Artist photos: © Manuel Braun, 2021
Length: 43 minutes
Format: CD Digipack + Booklet 12 pages & Streaming Platforms
Listen/buy: li.sten.to/pierrebibault
Olga Neuwirth, "Die Stadt Ohne Juden" movie soundtrack
Ensemble Intercontemporain
Release: 2019
Genre: Contemporary Music with Ensemble, Movie Soundtrack
Music Company: Arte TV Edition
Artistic Direction: Olga Neuwirth
Format: DVD/Blu-ray
Buy: https://www.arte-edition.de/item/8510.html