François-Henri Houbart

François-Henri Houbart, born in Orléans on 26 December 1952, is one of the most wide-ranging French organists of his generation. He trained under Pierre Cochereau and Michel Chapuis for the organ, and under Pierre Lantier for harmony and counterpoint, and gave his first concert in 1969.

Before settling in Paris, he held various church posts. In 1979 he was appointed organist of the Madeleine, and the following year he was awarded the organ professorship at the Conservatoire of Orléans. His repertoire spans French and German music of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, Romantic symphonic music for organ, and contemporary composition, a range reflected in numerous recordings, among them a disc of works by Vierne and Widor that received an award.

Houbart is also an improviser and a composer for organ, with works such as Zemyorka (1984). He has written articles on the organ builders of Orléans and a book on the great organ of Sainte-Croix in Orléans, published in 1980. He sits on the organ commissions of the French Ministry of Culture and of the Paris city council, reflecting his role in the preservation and appreciation of the organ heritage.