Fourestier, Louis (Félix André)

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Fourestier, Louis (Félix André)

Fourestier, Louis (Félix André), French conductor, pedagogue, and composer; b. Montpellier, May 31, 1892; d. Boulogne- Billancourt, Sept. 30, 1976. He was a student of Gedalge and Leroux at the Paris Cons., winning the Grand Prix de Rome with his cantata La Mart d’Adonis in 1925. After conducting in the French provinces, he returned to Paris and conducted at the Opéra-Comique (1927–32) and the Opera (1938–45). On Nov. 11, 1946, he made his Metropolitan Opera debut in N.Y. conducting Lakmé, and remained on its roster until 1948. From 1945 to 1963 he was a prof, at the Paris Cons. He wrote mainly orch. works and chamber music.

—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire