Julien Masmondet

A unique artist and musical explorer, Julien Masmondet stands out for his innovative approach to conducting. A regular guest conductor with prestigious orchestras in France and abroad, he has conducted in iconic venues in Paris, Quebec City, Warsaw, Vienna, Moscow, Prague, Naples, and Riga. His career has been enriched by a memorable collaboration with Paavo Järvi as assistant conductor of the Orchestre de Paris, allowing him to broaden his repertoire and work with masters such as Herbert Blomstedt, Louis Langrée, David Zinman, and Christoph von Dohnanyi.

Renowned for his musical instinct, infectious energy, and ability to unite musicians, Julien Masmondet excels in both symphonic and operatic repertoire. Passionate about contemporary music, he regularly commissions and premieres new works, reinvents concert formats, and performs in unusual venues, demonstrating a constant desire to open up classical music to new audiences.

In 2018, he founded the ensemble Les Apaches!, with which he established a fruitful dialogue between contemporary creation and works from the past, collaborating with artists from various disciplines. Among his recent projects, the Street Art concert, recorded live by Arte at the Musée d’Orsay, was a resounding success. In 2025, he will unveil an immersive project based on Ravel at the Théâtre du Châtelet, followed by an international tour. Les Apaches! will be performing this year at La Folle Journée in Tokyo and at the opening of the Ruhrtriennale International Festival of the Arts (Germany).

Julien Masmondet has recorded for prestigious labels such as Sony Music, Warner Classics, and Aparté, collaborating with renowned orchestras such as the Orchestre National de France and the Czech National Symphony Orchestra. His recent critically acclaimed interpretation of Florent Schmitt’s La Tragédie de Salomé with Les Apaches has received awards such as a Diapason d’Or and a Choc Classica. With the B Records label, they have just launched a “Collection Apaches” marked by the release of Fabien Cali’s digital single Niviana’s Devil Drop and two future recordings based on Ravel and Stravinsky.

Julien Masmondet teaches at the École Normale de Musique-Alfred Cortot in Paris, where he trained with Dominique Rouits and where he continues the French school of conducting inherited from Charles Munch, Jean Fournet, and Pierre Dervaux. He also teaches conducting at the CNSMD in Lyon and gives masterclasses on French music abroad.