Francis Casadesus

Francis Casadesus is the son of Luis Casadesus and Mathilde Sénéchal.

During his studies at the conservatoire of Paris, he was taught by prestigious musicians like Alfred Lavignac and César Franck. He then started a brilliant career as a conductor by directing the orchestras of the Paris Opera and of "l'Opéra-Comique" while touring France(1890/92). In 1898, he created one of his most celebrated works, "Le ballet des fleurs", which has been performed 150 times at the theater "l'Olympia".

In 1907, he became a musical reviewer for "l'Aurore". He toured extensively, including in Russia. In 1916, during the war, he founded a review called "La musique" which brought 52 works of mobilized, captive or killed musicians, to public attention.

In 1921, he founded and directed the American conservatoire of Fontainebleau, which formed many hig-level professional musicians and was later hired as a conductor for the Radio. In 1935, he directed the musical events of the "Fêtes du peuple". In 1942, he became vice-president of SACEM (Société des Auteurs, Compositeurs et Editeurs de Musique). He has authored many musical compositions, of which the most spectacular is "La chanson de Paris", created in 1924. A few years before his death (on 27 June 1954), he was honoured on the occasion of his 84th birthday (Paris, 1951), with a concert that featured 25 Casadesus as musicians. This event was widely reported in the press.