William Christie

William Lincoln Christie (born December 19, 1944 in Buffalo, New York) is a American-born French conductor and founder and director of Les Arts Florissants. Christie studied art history at Harvard University (where he was briefly assistant conductor of the Harvard Glee Club) and music at Yale University. He moved to France in 1971, where he became known for his interpretations of Baroque music, particularly French Baroque music, working with René... more

William Lincoln Christie (born December 19, 1944 in Buffalo, New York) is a American-born French conductor and founder and director of Les Arts Florissants. Christie studied art history at Harvard University (where he was briefly assistant conductor of the Harvard Glee Club) and music at Yale University. He moved to France in 1971, where he became known for his interpretations of Baroque music, particularly French Baroque music, working with René Jacobs and others. In 1979 he founded Les Arts Florissants, named after the opera of the same name by Marc-Antoine Charpentier, which was to be its first fully-staged production. Major recognition came in 1987 with the production of Lully's Atys at the Opéra-Comique in Paris. Christie has also presented and recorded works by André Campra, François Couperin, and Jean-Philippe Rameau. He was professor at the Paris Conservatoire from 1982 to 1995, and maintains an active role in pedagogy by participating in master classes and academies. In 2002... less