Michel Godard

Michel Godard (3 October 1960, Héricourt, near Belfort, France) is a French tuba player and jazz musician. Godard was admitted at the age of 18 to the Philharmonic Orchestra of Radio-France. His ability to produce overtones ("multiphonics") and musicality leaves the listener surprised at how light a seemingly cumbersome tuba can sound. In 1979 he picked up also the ancestor of the tuba, the serpent. On the classical side, Michel Godard played since 1988 with the Radio France Philharmonic Orchestra, the French National Orchestra, the Ensemble Musique Vivante, and, recently, the ancient music Ensemble La Venice and "XVIII-21Musique de Lumieres". He was also a member of the "Arban Chamber Brass" quintet (notably touring Japan, the U.S., Africa) and interprets works from the solo repertory, too. He gives international master classes. On the jazz side he was a member of the French National Jazz Orchestra from 1989 to 1991. Since then Godard has been involved in numerous creative projects with Michel Portal, Louis Sclavis, Enrico Rava, Michael Riessler, Horace Tapscott, Christof Lauer, Kenny Wheeler, Ray Anderson, Rabih Abou-Khalil, Sylvie Courvoisier, Simon Nabatov, Linda Sharrock, Pierre Favre, Misha Mengelberg, Gianluigi Trovesi, Willem Breuker, Gabriele Mirabassi, the ARTE Quartett and more recently in a quartet with co-tubist Dave Bargeron. As a composer, Michel Godard was commissioned by Radio France, Donaueschingen Music Festival and French Ministry of Cultural Affairs. Michel Godard also played and recorded with the pipeband of the Normandy town Quimper, with reggae star Alpha Blondy and with Canterbury rock musicians John Greaves and Pip Pyle.