The composer and organist Jean-Charles GANDRILLE, was born in1982.

  In parallel to his general schooling, crowned with  a certificate of merit at the national schools’ competition (branch : music) he studies  the piano at the Regional Conservatory in Versailles , then  in Paris where he obtains three unanimous 1rst Prizes in organ (teacher : Marie-Louise Langlais), Orchestration and Harmonisation.   Later, at the  Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique in Paris, he wins prizes in orchestration, harmonization, counterpoint, ‘Fugue and Forms’, analysis and  improvisation on the organ  (teachers :  Thierry Escaich and Philippe Lefebvre).

  He has also continuous training for the general organ repertoire, obtaining unanimously the gold medal at the Regional Conservatory in Saint-Maur in the class of Eric Lebrun. In parallel, he starts playing the violin, having also a special training in composition with Jean-Louis Florentz.   He is very interested in the liberty represented by improvisation, and at the age of 18-20 he wins several prizes in international organ competitions: the 2nd Prize and the Public’s Prize awarded by Marie-Claire Alain  in Chartres ( 2000 ) where he was the only remaining finalist, the 1rst Prize at the Saarbrucken competition ( 2001) , as well as the First Prize and the Public’s Prize at the Johann Pachelbel Competition in Nuremberg ( 2002 ). In 2006 he is awarded the Special Prize and the Public’s Prize at the first International Organ Competition Duruflé-Litaize.  

  As a composer he has won several international prizes for his works: the  First Prize at the Valentino Bucchi Competition in  Rome (2001), the First Prize and the Public’s Prize  at the French Competition ofFrench Flute Orchestras  in Paris ( 2002 ) , and in 2006 an unanimously awarded First Prize at the organ competition in Saint-Bertrand de Comminges, dedicated to compositions for organ. Amongst his about 50 works we can find compositions for various categories: for solo instruments (piano, organ, violoncello), chamber music, flute orchestra , and two concertos.   His compositions are built on the back-ground of French traditions , relating typical musical colours, lyrism and rythm, reaching out from Debussy to Florentz. But his works are also showing marks of composers such as  Arvo Pärt or Philip Glass he appreciates for their musical language which seems easily accessible and open to a broad public. 

   The world premiere of his Concerto for violin has been performed in Doha / Qatar on March 12th,  2012, by the Qatar’ Philharmonic Orchestra under the direction of Thomas Kalb, and Omar Chen playing the violin. The world premiere of his Minimalist-Concerto, double concerto for  Piano, Organ and  Orchestra has also taken place in Qatar, performed on March 30th, 2013 by the Qatar’ Philharmonic Orchestra under the direction of Alkis Baltas, Rami Khalifé on the piano, and the composer himself playing the organ. In October 2015 the  label Paraty published his first album about these two works .                   

    During summer 2014, he was ‘ composer in residence’ at  La Prée Abbey. In June 2015 he was the ‘invited composer ‘ at the  35th  International Music Festival in Auvers-sur-Oise where the audience could  listen to Renaud Capuçon playing Jean-Charles Gandrille.

     On June 7th, 2016   at Cathedral Notre Dame in Paris the premiere of his  Magnificat opus 50 has taken place, a work for mixed choir, children’s choir performed under the direction of Henri Chalet, Yves Castagnet playing the Great Organ.     

   Jean-Charles Gandrille is one of the permanent organists of Saint-Lubin church in Rambouillet and since 2007 he is also the appointed organist at Notre- Dame church in Auvers-sur-Oise.