Bernard Parmegiani

French composer Bernard Parmegiani was born in Paris on 27 October 1927. He studied mime with Jacques Lecoq and took part in a two-year masterclass with the Groupe de Recherches Musicales. He worked for the ORTF's Music/Image Unit, working with composers such as Xenakis and producing music for various film directors.

His first important composition was the 1964 Violostries for violin and tape, written to accompany choreography directed by Jacques-Albert Cartier. He visited the USA to research the connection between music and video, produced various music videos, and began writing electronic works for concert hall performance, such as Capture éphémère (1967) and L'Enfer, a 1972 collaboration with François Bayle.

Parmegiani set up his own studio in 1992. He has been influential on younger experimental composers and sound artists. He died on 21 November 2013, aged eighty-six.