Yves Castagnet

Yves Castagnet was born in Paris in 1964.

He started studying the piano at a very early age, then the organ a few years later at the age of nine. He graduated from the Paris Conservatoire national supérieur de musique in organ, improvisation, harmony, counterpoint, fugue and orchestration, with many first prizes among which one in organ in 1985.

In 1988, he won the Great Prize of interpretation at the International Organ Competition “Grand Prix de Chartres”. He’s been since performing regularly as a soloist in France and abroad.

Also in 1988 he was appointed principal organist of Notre-Dame de Paris Cathedral, where he daily plays for the offices sung by the cathedral’s choir school.

Both a concert and a continuo-player, Yves Castagnet greatly enjoys accompanying singers. He teaches period performance to the adults singers of Notre-Dame’s choir school, and regularly plays for their concert and liturgical productions.

This context and the musical richness of the liturgies celebrated at Paris Notre-Dame have progressively guided Yves Castagnet to composition.