Francine Aubin

Born on 6 February 1938 in Paris, Francine Aubin obtained at the age of 20 the First Prize in Composition at the Paris Conservatoire in the class of Tony Aubin, her teacher. She later became his wife. The first woman to be awarded the Director’s CA and be named Director of a National Conservatory in France, she led the Conservatory of Tourcoing, then the Paris 12th and finally the National Conservatory of Rueil-Malmaison.

This musical career was interrupted voluntarily by the composer for three years (1970-1973) when Francine Aubin decided to devote herself solely to painting. In exclusive contract to the Wally Findley Gallery, she exhibited in France and the United States under the name of artist Tremblot. But her passion for music quickly overtook that of painting, and she resumed her musical career and job as Director of Conservatory, increasingly interested in both conducting and teaching. She returned to composing but this time in a much more romantic style. Unlike her earlier works, influenced by contemporary music of the 1960s, her harmonic language grew increasingly tonal.

Critics say of her music "We can recognise the music of Francine Aubin from the opening bars: very expressive and singing melodic phrases, percussive rhythms, brilliant orchestration and above all a wealth of thematic invention allow her pieces to touch the heart of the public.

In Aubin’s words, "Music for me is made primarily to move the heart and not to show off the technical prowess of writing. It allows me to express the feelings I want to share with my performers and the public."

Biography adapted from Editions Robert Martin.