Pascal Gallois is one of the world's most celebrated and most active bassoonists, specializing in music of the postwar and beyond.

In 1978 he obtained the prestigious Premier Prix in bassoon (by unanimous jury) from the Paris Conservatory, having studied with Maurice Allard. Three years later, he was invited by Pierre Boulez to be a soloist in the Ensemble Intercontemporain, and in 1984 he gave the first of what was to be a seemingly endless series of important first performances:  the French premiere of Karlheinz Stockhausen’s In Freunschaft.

In 1994 he was named professor at the Paris Conservatory, a position he held for six years.  Important world premieres in the 1990s included Luciano Berio’s Sequenza XII for solo bassoon, the bassoon version of Pierre Boulez’ Dialogue de l’ombre double, Philippe Schoeller’s Lamento for bassoon and viola, Toshio Hosokawa’s Voyage II for bassoon and ensemble, Philippe Hersant’s Wanderung for bassoon and six female voices, and Mr Schoeller’s Folia, another work for bassoon and viola.  All of these works were written for, and dedicated to, Mr Gallois.

Noted performances thus far in the 2000s include the world premiere at the Octobre en Normandie Festival of Bruno Mantovani’s Un mois d’octobre for bassoon and piano; world premieres at the Présences Festival at Radio-France of György Kurtag’s Pilinszky János : Gérard de Nerval for solo bassoon, of Philippe Fénélon’s Epha for bassoon and viola, and of Philippe Schoeller’s Isis II for bassoon and harp; and world premieres in Paris' Salle Cortot of Mr Kurtág’s Schatten for solo contrabassoon, and of Mark André’s Hommage ŕ Kurtág for bassoon and baritone-bass voice.

Joshua Cody