the essential
Michel Poulet was a cellist and former member of the famous Ysaÿe quartet. A popular teacher at the Toulouse conservatory, he died at the age of 65 on Saturday January 11 in Reims.
He is a figure that Toulouse Music lovers will not forget. Michel Poulet, virtuoso cellist and member of the famous Ysaÿe quartet between 1988 and 1995, died on January 11 at the age of 65, following a long illness.
The first part of his life was devoted to this quartet. First prize at the Paris Conservatory of Music (CNSM) in 1982, Michel Poulet joined the ensemble in 1986. He notably won the 1st Grand Prize at the 1987 Evian International Competition. His recordings for Decca were critically acclaimed ( complete Mendelssohn, Debussy/Ravel, Mozart).
He moved to Toulouse in the mid-2000s
Alongside his career as a chamber musician, he plays as a soloist. Regularly invited by the Paris orchestra, he played under the direction of Pierre Boulez, Lorin Maazel, and Georges Prêtre.
In 1996, he founded the ZIK ensemble with which he joyfully developed a new way of making music: he organized concerts in Aubrac, in front of an audience of farmers who had never heard “classical” musicians.
Michel Poulet arrived in Toulouse in the mid-2000s. He then taught chamber music at the conservatory. In Toulouse, some remember concerts at the Cave Poésie with Bernardo Sandoval on guitar and Mingo Josserand on piano, in 2014. Michel Poulet also invents crossover concerts with the world of painting, architecture or gastronomy ( M. Bras and P. Gagnaire).
“Michel welcomed us warmly and enthusiastically”
Michel Poulet created the Acachambre association in 2017, which still brings together amateur musicians around chamber music today in Toulouse, with his colleague and friend from the conservatory, Hubert Guéry.
“We owe a lot to Michel, both for his teaching and on a human level. It is with great emotion that we remember his hospitality during our first internships. Michel welcomed us warmly and with enthusiasm”, remember the members of the association.
Michel Poulet returned to his native Champagne a few years ago. It was in Reims that he died on January 11, 2025. His funeral will be celebrated on January 28. La Dépêche sends its sincere condolences to his family and friends.
