Benjamin Attahir

Born in Toulouse in 1989, composer Benjamin Attahir began his musical training on the violin before discovering his passion for composition. He studied with Édith Canat de Chizy, Marc-André Dalbavie, Gérard Pesson and Pierre Boulez while studying violin with Ami Flammer. He has performed in various ensembles, including the Jersey Chamber Orchestra, the Ensemble Intercontemporain and the LSO Soundhub.

Benjamin Attahir has won numerous competitions and awards: Concours Général, USA IHC of Bloomington, Concours International of the City of Boulogne, Tribune Internationale des compositeurs of UNESCO, Prix Salabert of the SACEM and two prizes from the Académie des Beaux-Arts (including the Prix Pierre Cardin 2015). He was nominated for the Victoires de la Musique Classique in 2019 and 2021.

His works are performed by various ensembles and orchestras, including the Staatskapelle Berlin, Orchestre National de France, Orchestre du Capitole de Toulouse, Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra, Ensemble Intercontemporain, Les Éléments, Trio Zadig, Quatuor Arod and Quatuor van Kuijk, Tokyo Sinfonietta and at major venues including the Philharmonie de Paris, the New Auditorium of Radio France, the Concertgebouw Amsterdam, the Tonhalle Zurich, the Mozarteum Salzburg, the Pierre Boulez Saal in Berlin and the Théâtre du Châtelet. He is a regular guest at festivals such as Gaudeamus Muziekweek in Utrecht, the Lucerne Festival, the Messiaen Festival and the Aix en Provence Festival.

Attahir has composed two operas, which he conducted at their world premieres in 2012 and 2015. Stage music is the backbone of his compositional work, which, in keeping with his origins, draws its inspiration from both the West and the East. Attahir regularly works with artists such as Daniel Barenboim, Renaud Capuçon, Hae-Sun Kang, Geneviève Laurenceau, Marianne Piketty, Raquel Camarinha, Claude Delangle, Tugan Sokhiev, Bruno Mantovani, but also with several ensembles: Comédie Française, Liyuan Theatre of Quanzhou (China).

His current projects include a commission for the Philharmonie de Paris / Liyuan Theatre of Quanzhou (China), a concerto pour serpent (Orchestre Nationale de Lille), a violin concerto for Renaud Capuçon (2018/2019), a flute concerto for Emmanuel Pahud (2019/2020) and an opera based on a libretto by Maeterlinck, whose world premiere he conducted at the Brussels opera house La Monnaie in September 2019.

Benjamin Attahir was a Villa Medicis scholarship recipient (2016/2017) and composer in residence at the Sommets Musicaux de Gstaad 2018 and with the Orchestre National de Lille (2017/2018 and 2018/2019 seasons).

His works are published by Editions Durand-Salabert (Universal Music Publishing).