Simon-Pierre Bestion

Simon-Pierre Bestion was born in 1988 and studied at the Conservatoire de Nantes, where he earned an organ prize in the class of Michel Bourcier, as well as a prize for his musical training. At the same time, he studied harpsichord in the Paris region with Laure Morabito and Frédéric Michel. He further developed his skills as a keyboardist through masterclasses with Jan-Willem Jansen, Francis Jacob, Benjamin Alard, Martin Gester and Aline Zylberach. In 2006 he was a finalist in the international organ competition of Béthune.

His interest in composition and contemporary music led him to discover vocal polyphony and the richness of choral repertoire. He then specialized in choral conducting with Valérie Fayet, also at the Conservatoire de Nantes, and sang under her direction in the choir of the Orchestre National des Pays de la Loire. He then continued his training in the class of Nicole Corti at the Conservatoire Supérieur de Lyon. There he was strongly influenced by the valuable advice of conductors such as Régine Théodoresco, Roland Hayrabédian, Geoffroy Jourdain, Joël Suhubiette, Dieter Kurz and Timo Nuoranne.

During his training he was also greatly shaped by his encounters with Bruno Messina in the fields of ethnomusicology and musical culture, Claire Levacher for conducting, Dominique Moaty for singing, and Thomas Lacôte for harmony and composition.

Driven by his passion for early music and conducting, he founded the chamber music ensemble Europa Barocca in 2007 together with gambist Julie Dessaint. He expanded this instrumental formation with the creation of the choir Luce del Canto, a vocal ensemble of young semi-professional singers.

Building on their early successes, both ensembles came together in 2015 and continued under the name La Tempête.