プロフィール

United by friendship and a passion for music, these five young performers met at the Conservatoire of Paris during their studies. They decided to create the Cassiopée wind quintet in 2005.

Prize winners of the Henri Tomasi International Wind Quintet Competition of Marseille with the 3rd prize, of the Léopold Bellan International Chamber Music Competition of Paris with the 1st prize, and of the 5th session of the CIMCL with the prize of the audience and the prize of the SPEDIDAM for the best interpretation of the work «3 instants fugitifs» by Thierry Escaich, Cassiopée’s eclectic repertoire is meant to seduce the largest possible audience.

From pedagogic performances to concerts, as well as master classes, Cassiopée wish to share their love for music with both amateur and connoisseur music lovers. This is possible thanks to a very varied repertoire and a sensitive, moving and accurate interpretation.

Cassiopée’s musical identity is neither limited to a period nor to any aesthetic convention. Animated by insatiable curiosity, the quintet are interested in cultures and styles looking to find unexpected musical inspiration.

By interpreting the usual repertoire for wind quintets as well as transcriptions, Cassiopée are able to offer a great diversity of programmes and adapt to all kinds of performances in France and abroad.

Friends on and off the stage, these musicians full of communicative energy obviously enjoy performing with accuracy and emotion.


The musicians:

Boris GRELIER(flute)
Julien CHABOD (clarinet)
Guillaume BIDAR (bassoon)
Pierre REMONDIERE (French horn)
Vincent ARNOULT (oboe)


Boris GRELIER, flute

After a gold medal at the CNR of Clermont Ferrand at the age of 15, he went on studying at the CNR of Versailles (Class of Christel Rayneau) where he was awarded a gold medal in 1999. Four years later he got his prize at the CNSM de Paris (Classes of Sophie Cherrier, Vincent Lucas and Pierre Dumail for the piccolo).

Prize winner of several national competitions during his studies, he first specialized in orchestra and later in chamber music. That’s why he regularly performs with the Orchestre de Paris, the Opéra de Paris, the Ensemble Intercontemporain, several national orchestras (Ile de France, Capitole de Toulouse, Pays de Loire), and the Orchestre d’Auvergne, in France or on tours (China, Greece, Turkey, Germany and England) with such conductors as Christoph Eschenbach, Michel Plasson, Pierre Boulez, James Conlon, Yutaka Sado, Christoph Donhanyi, Marek Janovski, Sakari Oramo and Pinchas Steinberg.

But he also enjoys playing with smaller companies for the lyrical repertoire (operettas), particularly for the festival of Saint Céré (Opéra Eclaté) or the Compagnie des Brigands, a production he has been taking part in for five years.
Keen on chamber music, he completed his training with Michel Moraguès and Jens Mac Manama and was awarded a chamber music prize at the CNSM (Class of Maurice Bourgue). He also performed several times with the Octuor de France, and in film festivals in Paris and Laponia.

For the first time in 2007, he was invited to the Musica Nigella festival (Pas de Calais) where he played in quintet with harp and in sonata, and for a few years he has regularly enjoyed giving recitals with Mélanie Dutreil (harp) or Véronique Guillo (piano).

Since August 2007 he has performed as an interim flute soloist in the Symphonic Orchestra of San Sebastian (Spain).


Julien CHABOD, clarinet

Julien started playing the clarinet when he was 12 years old at the National Music School in Evreux (ENM) and was awarded gold medals for both clarinet and chamber music by a unanimous vote of the examiners. In 2003, he was awarded a first prize from the Paris National Conservatory (CNR), where he studied under the tuition of Richard Vieille.

In June 2007 he graduated from the National Superior Conservatory in Paris (CNSM) with distinction, having studied with Michel Arrignon and Arnaud Leroy.

Julien has been invited to perform as Principal Clarinet for numerous orchestras, including, among others, the Philharmonic Orchestra of Radio France in Paris, the Lausanne Chamber Orchestra, the National Orchestra of the Loire Valley, the Rouen Opera Orchestra, the Auvergne Orchestra, the "Ensemble Intercontemporain" in Paris…

Julien has also performed in number of different ensembles, including the "Compagnie des Brigands", the "Pelléas" Orchestra, the "Ensemble à Ciel Ouvert", the Paris Cinematographic Orchestra, the Prometheus Orchestral Ensemble and the Paris Wind Ensemble.

Julien was awarded first prize at the 1997 Léopold Bellan Competition by unanimous vote of the jury and received first prize at the 2002 European Competition in Picardie. In April 2007 he was awarded both third prize and the audience's prize at the Claude Debussy Competition in Paris.

Julien is also a member of the Cassiopée Wind Quintet, with which he won third prize at the Henri Tomasi International Wind Quintet Competition, the first prize at the Léopold Bellan International Chamber Music Competition in Paris, the audience's prize and the special prize for interpretation "instants fugitives" of Thierry Escaich at the International Wind Quintet Competition in Lyon.

Julien regularly participates in a number of music festivals, including the Nantes "Folles Journées" Festival, the Aix en Provence Festival, the Salzburg Mozart Festival, the Budapest Spring Festival, the Chaillol Festival, the Saint Riquier Festival, the Monts de la Madeleine Festival, the "Nuits du Mont Rome" Festival and the "Musica Nigella" Festival.

He's soloist of Marc Minkowski's "Musiciens du Louvre" Orchestra since September 2006.

He has been the Principal Clarinet of the Paris Police Orchestra since January 2005.


Guillaume BIDAR, bassoon

He was born at Colmar on December the fourth 1985 and he started playing the bassoon at the ENM of that same town in 1996. In 2002 he was unanimously awarded his diplomas for instrumental studies (Class of Alain Delerence) and chamber music (Class of Alain Toiron). In 2003, he entered Gilbert Audin’s class at the CNSM de Paris where he unanimously got his prize four years later.

He became member of the Orchestre Français des Jeunes in 2004 and the following year they invited him as bassoon soloist to play Le Sacre du Printemps by Igor Stravinsky. He then performed with numerous orchestras such as the Orchestre National de France, the Orchestre Philarmonique du Luxembourg (where he was interimary co-soloist in 2006-2007), the Orchestre Philarmonique de Strasbourg, the Orchestre de Bretagne, or the Chamber Orchestra of Moscow. All these opportunities have enabled him to discover some of the finest concert halls in the world: the Salle Pleyel and the Cité de la Musique in Paris, Berlin and Luxembourg Philarmonies, the Palacio de Bellas Artes in Mexico City, the Lincoln Center in New York, Boston, Dallas and Chicago Symphony Halls, the Barbican Centre in London, the Polish Radio Hall in Varsow…

Moreover; he has been member of the Musique des Gardiens de la Paix de Paris since May 2007 as well as co-soloist of the Orchestre Padeloup since November 2004. He has just been appointed bassoon soloist of the Orchestre Symphonique de Mulhouse and he is ”Révélation Classique” of the ADAMI 2008.


Pierre REMONDIERE, French horn

He was born in 1982 and studied the horn at the CNR of Caen where he was unanimously awarded first prizes in horn as well as chamber music. He went on studying at the Conservatoire of Gennevilliers (Class of Patrice Petitdidier) where he got his prize in 2001. Then he entered André Cazalet’s class at the CNSM de Paris where he was awarded his prize in 2005.

He has taken part in numerous chamber music festivals and regularly performs with various national orchestras such as the Ensemble Intercontemporain, the Orchestre National de France, the Orchestre National des Pays de Loire, the Orchestre National d’Ile de France, the Orchestre du Capitole de Toulouse, and the Orchestre National de Lille.

Pierre Rémondière is part of the Or Notes Brass brass quintet and they have already won several international chamber music prizes (Lyon, Munich, and Passau). He is also member of the Orchestre d’Harmonie des Gardiens de la Paix de la Préfecture de Police de Paris.


Vincent ARNOULT, oboe

He started playing the oboe with Denis Roussel in whose class he was awarded his first prize at the ENMD of Montreuil. Then he went on studying at the CNR of Boulogne-Billancourt (Class of Yves Poucel) and got his prize in 2000. In 2001 he entered the CNSM de Paris (Class of David Walter).

In 2003, 2004 and 2005, he took part in the International Orchestra Institute Attergau where he worked and performed with Peter Schneider, Bobby McFerrin, Donald Runnicles and Riccardo Muti. He has also played with professional orchestras such as the Concerts Lamoureux, the Concerts Padeloup, the Orchestre National des Pays de Loire, the orchestra of Bilbao; the Musiciens du Louvre, Stradivaria, Les Siècles and the Orchestre de Chambre d’Auvergne.

In 2005 he was awarded his first prize in oboe and cor anglais , and one year later in chamber music (Class of David Walter). In 2008, he has entered the class of Michel Henry at the CNSM de Paris in order to complete his training in baroque oboe.