Philippe Schœller studied piano with
Jean-Claude Henriot, harmony and counterpoint with
Beatrice Berstel, choral singing in the choir Websky Justus von Bach, was introduced to orchestral conducting with
Gérard Delvaux at the Ecole Normale de Musique de Paris, and analysis with
Robert Piencikowski. From 1982 to 1986, in Paris, he studied with
Pierre Boulez at the Collège de France, as well as master classes at the conservatory and Donatoni courses free of
Iannis Xenakis at the Ecole des Hautes Etudes. His encounters with
Helmut Lachenmann at a conference in Paris in 1985,
Henri Dutilleux at Tours in 1990 and
Elliott Carter in 1983 will be the most significant. It also enriches his training as a musician by studies in musicology and philosophy at the University of Paris-Sorbonne.
Philippe Schœller is composer in residence at the Philharmonic Beethovenhalle Bonn (Germany) in 2001 and in 2003, he was selected to participate in the semi-final of the international competition Masterprize to London for his work
Totems. He lectures extensively and teaches analysis and composition at the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique de Lyon. It also conducts master classes at the Conservatoire National Coppenhage in 2004 at the Hochschule Hannover in 2004 and at IRCAM in 2005. It follows the course of computer music at IRCAM before you perform extensive work on sound synthesis, with the goal of developing a new violin in accordance with the traditional violin.
His pieces are created including the SWR Orchestra Baden-Baden and Freiburg Philharmonic Orchestra Beethovenhalle Bonn, the Orchestre National de France, the Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France, Ensemble Modern, the Ensemble Intercontemporain, the chamber choir Accentus, the young choir Paris, and musicians such as Pierre-Laurent Aimard, Pascal Gallois, Garth Knox, Irvine Arditti, Peter Eötvös, Myung-Whun Chung, Pierre-André Valade, Laurence Equilbey, David Robertson and Pascal Rophé. He was composer in residence with the Orchestre National de Montpellier from 2008 to 2010.
Philippe Schœller style could be associated with terms such as color, transparency, subtlety, but also energy, flexibility, movement and organic form. His writing, ranging from solo work extremely stripped -
Hypnos linea - the wide band-
Totems - shows great attention to detail and a quest for some dizziness, clean his passion for 'textural perception' : waves, winds flow in the reeds in the woods, flights starlings, clouds or galaxies events of living nature. His catalog includes more than seventy-five works, data worldwide.
He was awarded the International Composition Competition Antidogma Turin in 1984, the Prix Henri Dutilleux Tours in 1990, the Foundation Natixis - Banque Populaire - Crédit National in 1993-1997, the Prix Paul Gilson unanimously in 2001
Totems and the prize for best contemporary instrumental awarded by SACEM in 2009 to
Soul Tree. Both publications are the recordings "Blow of heart" of the Académie Charles Cros.
His music is published by Durand / Universal Classical Music.