Françoise Atlan

Born in 1964 and gifted with a natural voice developed from childhood, Françoise Atlan began studying piano with her mother at the age of six. After completing her musical training at the Conservatoires of Saint-Étienne and Aix-en-Provence, she received First Prizes in piano and chamber music (1984). While pursuing musicology studies at the University of Aix-Marseille, she simultaneously trained in vocal technique and operatic repertoire with Andréa Guiot at the Paris Opera.

As a member of the contemporary vocal ensemble directed by Roland Hayrabedian, she distinguished herself in the vocal music of composer Maurice Ohana, who entrusted her with the solo part in his Cantigas—a recording that was awarded the Grand Prix of the Académie du Disque (1987). From 1987 to 1989, she served as First Soloist of the vocal ensemble Musicatreize, specializing in contemporary music (Ohana, Ligeti, Nono).

Her Judeo-Berber roots led her to develop a profound passion for traditional musics, particularly those of the Mediterranean basin. Her international career has taken her to acclaimed performances in the United States, Japan, Spain, Portugal, Italy, Great Britain, Morocco, Tunisia, the former Yugoslavia, the Netherlands, Belgium, Norway, and Israel, in both Western early music and traditional repertoires.

She regularly gives masterclasses at the Ateliers d’Ethnomusicologie in Geneva, the Schola Cantorum in Basel, and the Centre de Musique Médiévale in Paris.

A 1998 laureate of the Villa Médicis Hors les Murs Prize, she was able to spend three years studying the Arab-Andalusian repertoire of the Fez tradition with Mohammed Briouel.

In 2001, Françoise Atlan took part in the premiere of Femmes by composer Florence Bachet, commissioned by Radio France and performed with Ensemble FA under the direction of Dominique My.