Othman Louati
Othman Louati is a French composer, conductor, and percussionist. After winning four prizes at the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique de Paris, he became heavily involved with the ensembles Miroirs Étendus (Associate Artist) and Le Balcon. With the latter, he participated, among others, in Stockhausen's "Licht" cycle, which had a decisive influence on his music. As a percussionist, he has played with prestigious ensembles such as the Orchestre de Paris, the Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio-France, Les Dissonances, the Ensemble Intercontemporain, the Paris Percussion Group, the Xenakis collective, and the Comédie Française. As a conductor, he has perfected his skills under the aegis of the Peter Eötvös Foundation and with Johannes Schlaefli. He specializes in 20th- and 21st-century repertoire; he has recently performed with the Ensemble Ars Nova, Les Illuminations, and Le Balcon. He notably participated in the creation of the Licht cycle (conducted by Maxime Pascal, Philharmonie de Paris, Opéra Comique) and the opera Like Flesh by Sivan Edar (Lille Opera, Montpellier Opera) as assistant musical director. His output includes works commissioned by Radio France, the Coopérative Opéra, the Concerts de Poche, the Hauts-de-France and Normandy regions, La Comédie Française, Le Balcon, Miroirs Etendus, the Tourcoing Conservatory and numerous festivals throughout France. His piece Nuits (2022) co-won the UNESCO International Rostrum of Composers (2023). In 2023 he wrote notably for the Xenakis & Feu! Chatterton Trio as part of their residency at the Louvre Museum, as well as a string quartet for Radio-France's Présences Festival 2024. His first opera, Wings of Desire, based on Wim Wenders' libretto by Gwendoline Soublin, will be performed during the 2023/2024 season at the Rennes, Nantes-Angers, and Dijon Operas, as well as on the national stages of Dunkirk, Tourcoing, Compiègne, Besançon, and Quimper.