André Ducret (*Fribourg, Switserland 1945)

André Ducret likes to profile himself as a choir leader who composes.

Born in Fribourg (Switzerland) in 1945, his musical development was influenced by the works of Pierre Kaelin, Michel Corboz, Jean Balissat, Eric Ericson and Dan-Olaf Stenlund.

Two ensembles gained him fame at a European level. Firstly the Choeur des XVI, which he founded in 1970 and with whom he carried off the first prizes in various international competitions (Arezzo, Tours, Budapest, Gorizzia, Neuchâtel) and recorded ten CD; secondly the Choeur Saint-Michel, a group of young people he has been conducting since 1976 and who continue to accompany him in his musical exploits (the Basel festival, the Israeli Zimriya, Saint Petersburg).

André Ducret has several times been invited to act as studio director for Europa Cantat, A Coeur-Joie and Zimriya. He regularly lectures in choral conducting and takes the occasional master class. Ducret himself has sung as first tenor in two male voice quartets. He has also been a welcome guest of such renowned orchestras as the Suisse Romande Orchestra, the Lausanne Chamber Orchestra and the Swiss Italian Radio Orchestra. In 2003, he was asked for the fourth time to co-conduct the Swiss Youth Choir.

André Ducret started composing at the same time he started conducting choirs, as a craftsman fashions the tools he needs. His collected works have grown over the years to almost 400 pieces to date. Depending on the ensemble he is writing for, he opts either for a fairly traditional style (« Soir d'Octobre », « L'Hiver Vient aux Fenêtres ») or for a more contemporary mode of expression (« Laetabitur », « Les Roses Rouges », « Arc en sons »). Although the majority of his works are secular, he has also produced a not-inconsiderable number of religious works. He has been commissioned to write several cycles for the theatre and has penned a number of works featuring instruments in a prominent role: brass quartet, harp, classical guitar and solo percussion. More recently, he composed two secular cantatas: « Chemins » for choir and wind ensemble and « Via la vie » for choir, female soloist, brass quartet, saxophone quintet and three percussionists.

The standard of his composition has been confirmed by numerous competitions, such as Suisse Romande TV's Golden Star as early as 1981 and several first prizes in composition competitions organised by the Fribourg District Singers Society in 2002.