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.
Liste des oeuvres
Ainulindale (1994)
Instrumentation: für Orchester (2,2,2,2 - 2,2,0,0 - Pk - Str)
Nach der gleichnamigen Erzählung von J.R.R. Tolkien. UA: Grosser Tonhallesaal Zürich, 1.4.1995, Symphonisches Orchester Zürich, Daniel Schweizer.
Durée: 12' 00" Manuscrit
Quintett (1997)
Instrumentation: für Klarinette und Streichquartett
UA: Schöftland, 29.3.1997, Orion-Ensemble Basel.
Durée: 14' 00" Manuscrit
Metamorphosen (1999)
Instrumentation: für Orchester (2,2,2,2 - 4,2,3,0 - Pk - Str)
UA: Grosser Tonhallesaal Zürich, 3.9.2000, Symphonisches Orchester Zürich, Felix Carrasco.
Durée: 8' 00" Manuscrit
Le Carnaval des Animaux (Saint-Saëns) (2000)
Arrangement
Instrumentation: für siebenköpfiges Ensemble (Fl (Picc), Klar, Klav, V, Va, Vc, KB)
Für die Tanzproduktion "Bewegungsspektakel" von Birgit Scherzer.Premiere: 15.9.2000, Scalatheater Basel.
Durée: 20' 00" Manuscrit
GAIA (2002)
Instrumentation: für Bassklarinette und Klavier
Stück über die antike griechische Erdgöttin Gaia. UA: Michiko Tsuda (Klavier) und François Thurneysen (Bassklarinette), 13.4.2002 anlässlich der 10-Jahr-Feier der wissenschaftlichen ökologischen Zeitschrift GAIA in Bendern (Fürstentum Lichtenstein).