Franck-Emmanuel Comte

Conductor and harpsichordist, Franck-Emmanuel Comte holds a truly unique position on the European baroque scene. A creative and versatile artist, he pursues his passion for the baroque repertoire mainly through innovative, cross-disciplinary projects of his own creation.

Immediately after completing his studies in composition and orchestral and choral conducting at the CNSMD in Lyon, he began his career in opera houses (Nantes, Lyon, Paris Opera Studio…) and accepted invitations from both classical and baroque orchestras (Orchestre des Pays de Savoie, Ensemble Orchestral Contemporain, Orchestre de l’Université d’Auckland, Collegium Musicum Riga, Ensemble Arion de Montréal…).

At the same time, he founded Le Concert de l’Hostel Dieu, a Lyon-based ensemble of international renown, of which he remains the Artistic Director. He has conducted the ensemble in over 1,700 concerts and recorded around twenty albums. The Ghost of HamletHis most recent recording, released on Arcana/Outhere, has received numerous awards and accolades from the international press.

Regularly invited to conduct in major European and world capitals (Barcelona, London, Moscow, Montreal, New York, Washington, Helsinki, Krakow, Rome, Brussels, Madrid, Tel Aviv, Beijing…) and at numerous international festivals (Ambronay, La Chaise-Dieu, Handel Festival in Halle, Bayreuth Baroque Festival, Bruges Early Music Festival, London Baroque Festival, Granada Festival of Sacred Music…), Franck-Emmanuel Comte is passionate not only about the baroque repertoire but also about innovative or unconventional projects, such as ballet. Folia co-created with choreographer Mourad Merzouki, has already been presented to over 150,000 spectators across 160 performances.

Recently, Franck-Emmanuel Comte has led several original projects, including the world premiere ofIl Paradiso perduto at the Auditorium of Lyon, 50/50as well as various concerts and operas dedicated to baroque female composers, including the opera Talestri by Maria Antonia Walpurgi. He has also been responsible for the historical music and part of the original score for the television series Marie-Antoinette, co-produced by Canal+ and the BBC.

In 2025, he became Artistic Director of La Trinité, a concert season dedicated to early and unconventional music, co-organized by Le Concert de l’Hostel Dieu and Superspectives. Franck-Emmanuel Comte is also the Artistic Director of the Centre Musical International J.-S. Bach of Saint-Donat and of the Festival baroque du Pays du Mont-Blanc.