Biography

Jean-Luc Darbellay graduated from clarinet studies at the Konservatorium Bern and had composition studies with Cristobal Halffter and Dimitri Terzakis. He then attended masterclasses at the IMF Lucerne with Heinz Holliger and Klaus Huber and, as an assistant, with Edison Denisov. Furthermore, he attended seminars with Pierre Boulez and conducting classes in Bern and with Franco Ferrara.

His activities are based essentially in Switzerland, (intense collaboration with Swiss Radios leading to the commission for OYAMA, a piece created by “L’orchestre de la Suisse Romande” leaded by Fabio Luisi, the German creation took place in the Gewandhaud Leipzig, the first US execution will be in Dallas), Paris (commission for a composition for Radio France, Festival Présences), Russia (Festivals in St.Petersburg, and Moscow, founding of the SPECTRUM Ensemble with Swiss and Russian musicians), and in Leipzig (commissions and productions for the MDR and MDR-Sommer). His works have been performed in the USA, Canada, China, Malaysia, Korea, Japan and throughout Europe. Three times pieces of J-L.Darbellay were included in the program of the World Music Day (Bucarest, Luxemburg and Hong Kong).

Insensive cooperation with Siegfried Palm.

Recordings with the Südwest Radio Symphony Orchestra Stuttgart, the MDR-Symphony Orchestra, Moscow Philharmonic, Orchestra della Svizzera Italiana and Berne Symphony Orchestra.

Since 1994 he is the President of the ISCM (Swiss branch).

J-L.Darbellay won the jubilee-price of the Berne Symphony Orchestra 2002 with his piece ONDES.

All his works (with a fiew exeptions) are published with “Tre-Media Musikverlage” Karlsruhe.