François Thurneysen was trained musically with his main subject in clarinet under Hans-Rudolf Stalder and Hansjürg Leuthold at Zurich Conservatory (today the School of Music Winterthur / Zurich). He received his orchestra diploma in 1972. He studied four semesters of musicology at the University of Zurich. In 1973/4 He studied clarinet under Yona Ettlinger and Guy Deplus in Paris, and musicology at the University of Vincennes. At the Basel Academy of music he studied clarinet under Hans-Rudolf Stalder, instrumentation under Jacques Wildberger and electronic music under David Johnson in 1975/76. He also studied saxophone (amongst other things) under Heiner Althaus in the general department at the Bern School of Jazz.
Since 1980 he teaches in clarinet, ensemble and folk music at the Zurich Conservatory, and teaches clarinet at the college in Reissbach (Zurich) He conducted the school orchestra at the Rudolf Steiner School in Aargau until 2001. He was conductor at the 'Musikwochen Glarisegg' (music holidays for the young) from 1988 until 1998. He is also a jury member of various young music competitions. He is a consultant and lecturer at music education congresses and has published occasionally on musical and musical education topics.
He is a member of the Zurich Symphony Orchestra and a chamber musician in various ensembles, a member of the group GAIA (Klezmer music, folk music from the whole of Europe, salon music and tango) as well composing and arranging works for orchestra, chamber music and music for theatre productions.
Work list
Ainulindale (1994)
Instrumentation: for orchestra (2.2.2.2/2.2.0.0/timp/str)
Based on the stories bearing the same name by J.R.R. Tolkien.
First performed in the ‘Grosser Tonhallesaal’ in Zurich, 01.04.95 by the Zurich Symphony Orchestra under Daniel Schweizer.
Duration: 12' 00" Manuscript
Quintet (1997)
Instrumentation: for clarinet and string quartet
First performed: 29.3.1997 in Schöftland by the Orion Ensemble Basel.
Duration: 14' 00" Manuscript
Metamorphosen (1999)
Instrumentation: for orchestra (2.2.2.2/4.2.3.0/timp/str)
First performed in the 'Grosser Tonhallesaal' in Zurich on the 01.09.2000 by the Zurich Symphony Orchestra under the direction of Felix Carrasco.
Duration: 8' 00" Manuscript
Le Carnaval des Animaux (Saint-Saëns) (2000)
Arrangement
Instrumentation: for an ensemble with seven musicians (fl(pic).cl/pf/vn.va.vc.db)
For the dance production 'Bewegungsspektakel' by Birgit Scherzer.Premier: 15.9.2000 at the Scalatheater in Basel.
Duration: 20' 00" Manuscript
GAIA (2002)
Instrumentation: for bass clarinet and piano
A piece about Gaia, the earth Goddess of ancient Greece.
‘GAIA’ was first performed by Michiko Tsuda (piano) and François Thurneysen (bass clarinet) on the 13.04.2002 for the ten-year anniversary celebrations of the ecological magazine GAIA in Bendern (Principality of Lichtenstein).