Ledoux's pieces show his attraction for refined harmonic phenomenons. In the 1980's, this called for many conceptual approaches. But in  the 90's, he progressively left his compositional current for an approach calling on musical synthesis, relying on a clear writing strategy. This tries to focus the listener's perception towards unknown path of Western listening. The fascination exercised by the phenomenon of sound has incited the composer to a certain acoustical introspection, helped by recent technology, computer programmes, acoustical analysis and sound synthesis. Without wishing to claim to be a membre of the 'spectral' school, his music shows facets of a certain sensuality based on the interactions between harmony and sounds. His interest in Eastern music has led him to reflect on instrumental ornementation as practised in the East, as well as on the physical movement relationship between the performer and his (her) instrument. Taken in this way, the musical work of Claude Ledoux synthesises these different elements in a luxuriant microtonal environment, with a desire to renew the phenomenon of melody without condescension, the expression of a solo instrument or an orchestra where emotion comes from the meeting of different imaginary cultures.

Biography

Claude LEDOUX is born in 1960. After obtaining a scientific diploma, he turned to the artisitic world and studied painting at the Fine-Arts School and music at the Conservatoire de Liege (Belgium) where he met Jean-Louis ROBERT, a composer and a remarkable pedagogue who helped him to discover the contemporary artistic world. Further important moments on his career were composition courses with Philippe BOESMANS, Frederic RZEWSKI, meeting Henri POUSSEUR, learning music analysis with Celestin DELIEGE and finally, researching in electronic music in the Liege Research Center (CRMW) with Patrick LENFANT. Claude LEDOUX also pursued his education abroad, notably in France, Hungary (Bartok seminar) and Italy where he participated in seminars by Gyorgy LIGETI and Franco DONATONI. From 1987 to 89 he lived in Paris, where he followed the courses in musical computing at the IRCAM, XXth century music analysis courses with Robert PIENCIKOWSKI as well as the composition courses by Iannis XENAKIS at the University of Paris. 

Because of his passion for Asian sounds, he travelled in several eastern countries in order to make researches and to learn the traditionnal art of music. First in 92, through India where he learned ethnic music from the Himalayan sloops to the Rajasthan desert. In 1996, he got a grant from the SPES Fondation to pursue his studies about oriental music in Vietnam, Cambodia and Indonesia. Recently he travelled in Japan with his wife Nao MOMITANI, where he went deeper into his knowledge of Nô, Bunraku and Kyôgen.

In his beginnings as a composer, he won several international competitions. From that time, his music has been performed throughout the world. He was recently in residence, among others, at the Ensemble « Musiques Nouvelles », at Castello d'Umbertide (Italy) and at the « Palais des Beaux-Arts » in Brussels. In 2003 he received the Musical Prize from the Civitella Ranierei Foudation of New York for his recent works. In 2009, he composed the compulsory work (semifinals) of the Queen Elisabeth Competition of Belgium, violin session. The same year, he was guest composer at the Kitrara Hall in Sapporo (Japan). Summer 2010, the Quartz Ensemble premiered his « Moon’s Desires » at the Seoul festival. In 2011 the composer got a commission form the French government (A Terra Sem Mal, premiered in Paris by the Ensemble Le Balcon), as well as a commission from Ars Musica for a new clarinet concerto (Ayl, performed by the clarinet player Jean-Luc Votano). Furthermore, the composer has to write a new piece for the Ensemble Muromachi (Tokyo) and for the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra of Liège. Both works will ne premiered in 2014. 

Claude LEDOUX got also a master in Music Sciences from the Liège University. Nowadays, he works as a musical journalist and lecturer as well as a Musical Analysis professor at the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique de Paris (France) and Composition professor at the Ecole Supérieure des Arts, Conservatoire de Mons (Belgium). From 2001 to 2005 he worked as Artistic Director of the Centre POUSSEUR (previously CRFMW). Summer 2008 and 2009, he was guest professeur in Brasil at the Sao Paulo University, and at the Campinas University (UNICAMP) - for the Master and PhD in Musical Analysis and composition. In 2009, he also teached at the Winter courses of Campos do Jordão in Brasil. He was recently Artistic Currator for the Festival Ars Musica - Brussels 2012. Spring 2013 he is invited in China for lectures ad master classes at the Shanghai Conservatory.

Since january 2005, Claude Ledoux is member of the Belgian Royal Academy.

Other informations (Paintings / Books / Links) at :

http://users.skynet.be/ledouxcl/