The list of his professions alone could easily fill several lines of his biography: Hervé Niquet is a harpsichordist, organist, pianist, singer, composer, choirmaster and conductor all rolled into one. He is one of the most creative musical personalities of our time and is widely recognised as a leading expert in the French repertoire from the Baroque to Claude Debussy. Last but not least, the musicologist has a keen interest in archival research. And so Hervé Niquet approaches music-making like a true researcher, looking for the original sources and avoiding routine. With this in mind, he founded Le Concert Spirituel in 1987 with the aim of revitalising the French grand motet. 38 years later, the choir and orchestra have made a name for themselves as one of the best ensembles for the interpretation of baroque music. They been a major influence on the Paris concert scene and receive regular invitations to famous venues around the world. One of Hervé Niquet’s most ambitious projects is his involvement in the founding of the Palazzetto Bru Zane – Centre de musique romantique française in Venice, which supports projects connected to historical works around the French Prix de Rome, which strengthened the cultural ties between France and Italy in the 17^th century.

In addition to his many engagements with Le Concert Spirituel and other French ensembles, Hervé Niquet also conducts international orchestras that play the 19th and early 20th century repertoire with the same passion, including the Montréal Symphony Orchestra, the Orchestra Ensemble Kanazawa, the Sinfonia Varsovia, the Munich Radio Orchestra, the Nuremberg Philharmonic State Orchestra, the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra of Liège and the Gulbenkian Orchestra. Hervé Niquet’s extensive oeuvre is also reflected in his discography, which includes many award-winning recordings, and he has been honoured with the awards Commandeur des Arts et des Lettres and Chevalier de l’Ordre National du Mérite.

Hervé Niquet is also a passionate teacher and gives masterclasses at the Conservatoire national supérieur de musique in Paris and Lyon, at the Schola Cantorum Basiliensis (Switzerland), McGill University in Montréal (Canada), the Conservatoire à rayonnement régional de Paris, the Académie des Festivals d’Ambronay, the Jeune Orchestre de l’Abbaye (Saintes) as well as with the training scheme »La Pépinière du Concert Spirituel«, where he regularly welcomes and mentors young talent.