CASTET François

François Castet was born in Algiers in 1940. He was part of the first generation of French guitarists able to benefit from a coherent guitar teaching structure: diplomas from the Algiers Conservatoire of Music, and, a few years later, from Geneva. Amongst the "pioneers" of the period, he revelled in lute music (an instrument which he also plays) and recorded the first LP of lute music by a French musician in 1968. He teaches guitar with an enthusiasm which has never left him and started at an early age publishing works for guitar (Éditions Leduc, Paris). Also in 1968 he created the "Ensemble Musique Ancienne de Lyon" which he was to conduct for eight years. This group was also a "pioneer" in ancient and pre-baroque music. François Castet has worked in duet with his friend, organist and harpsichord player Pierre Perdigon, has joined forces with Alfred Deller, Charles Ravier, Michel Corboz. Each year up to 1976 he produced an LP of solo lute or guitar, duets with organ and harpsichord and chamber music with Bam, RCA, Erato. As from 1976 the dissatisfaction which all artists are prey to became more pronounced.: he decided to stop playing full-time! He built his own yacht, became a part-time sailor whilst remaining an enthusiastic guitar teacher for the rest of the time. In 1990 he supervised the recording of a CD (including the first ever recording world-wide of Leo Brouwer's Serenade) with some of his young and talented students (he enjoys a "mad challenge"). Shortly after this, he published two major teaching works and some personal compositions with Éditions Combre in Paris. François Castet is presently a certified teacher at the Givors Conservatoire, the Ecole Municipale de Musique in Nyons and a teaching advisor in Lyon. He lives in "paradise", in Provence.