Marc Minkowski

Marc Minkowski was one of the most promising conductors to emerge in the 1990s, having carved out a niche for himself (and his hand-picked ensemble, Les Musiciens du Louvre) in the lesser-known works of the French and Italian Baroque. In the competitive fields of early music and historical performance, he has garnered considerable critical acclaim and managed to bring works of relative obscurity to the attention of wider audiences.

Minkowski began his career as a bassoonist, becoming a baroque specialist during his tenure with such ensembles as Les Arts Florissants, the Clemencic Consort of Vienna, and La Chapelle Royale. His interest in conducting flourished during studies with the highly respected French conductor Charles Bruck at the Pierre Monteux School in Hancock, ME. After taking first prize at the first International Early Music Competition in Bruges (1984), Minkowski founded his own early instrument ensemble, Les Musiciens du Louvre, with which he has made the bulk of his recordings.

His biggest successes have come in the realm of dramatic music, where his revivals of works by Gluck, Lully, Purcell, and Handel have drawn attention to his text-oriented dramatic sense. This same approach has borne similar fruit in the oratorios and choral works of Handel, which he has made a staple of his repertory. Minkowski and Les Musiciens du Louvre signed an exclusive contract with Deutsche Grammophon's Archiv Produktion label in 1994, and in 1997 they joined forces with the Orchestre de Chambre de Grenoble.