Benjamin François – Total Baroque Magazine

Articles by Benjamin François

A trained Germanist and historian, Benjamin François worked as a producer at Radio France from 2002 to 2024. During this time, he hosted numerous programmes, including the “Concert de 20h”, as well as several in-depth interview series featuring leading figures such as Florence and Jean-Claude Malgoire, Marcel Pérès, Rinaldo Alessandrini and John Eliot Gardiner. Alongside his broadcasting career, he trained as a singer, organist and choral conductor. Since 2015, he has served as dramaturg at the Opéra Orchestre National de Montpellier. He is also President of Orgues Nouvelles, the leading international French-language journal devoted to the organ.

Raphaël Pichon, Following in Bach’s Footsteps

Anniversary

Pygmalion Turns 20!

Raphaël Pichon, Following in Bach’s Footsteps

To mark Pygmalion’s 20th anniversary, Raphaël Pichon conceived a unique pilgrimage: to retrace on foot, along with his musicians, the journey that the young Johann Sebastian Bach undertook in 1705 from Arnstadt to Lübeck, in northern Germany, to further his musical education under the great Dietrich Buxtehude. After a first stage in Thuringia in 2024, which resonated widely through ARTE and France Musique, Raphaël Pichon and his ensemble are now setting off once again for Wolfenbüttel, Lüneburg, and Lübeck, in northern Germany.

by Benjamin François 14 May 2026

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Ten days of Baroque immersion at the opera

In March, Zurich aims to become the world capital of early music: shortly before Easter, from March 20 to 29, the new festival “Zürich Barock” will celebrate its first edition. Created by Matthias Schulz, director of the city’s Opera House, the event–featuring international headliners such as Philippe Jaroussky, Cecilia Bartoli, Max Emanuel Cenčić, and Raphaël Pichon–promises to be one of the highlights of the season. Matthias Schulz offers us an overview of this new format, which he envisions as distinctly international.