Pascale Criton studied composition with Ivan Wyschnegradsky, Gérard Grisey and Jean-Etienne Marie. She also received electro-acoustic training at the CIRM (International Centre for Musical Research, Nice) from 1980 to 1982, as well as in a musical computing course for composers at the IRCAM (Paris) in 1986, and earned a PhD in musicology (1999).
Since 1980, Pascale Criton explores sound variability, instrumental techniques and the spatialization of listening. A specialist of microtonality, she uses specific tunings (1/4, 1/12th, 1/16th tone) applied to various instruments (violin, cello, guitar, piano) combined with computing. She has collaborated with music ensembles such as l’Ensemble 2e2m, l’Itinéraire, Aleph, Accroche Note, Taller Sonoro, Dedalus and music research studios IRCAM, InaGRM (Radio-France), GMEM (Marseille), GMEA (Albi). Her works are commissionned and performed in France –– Centre Georges Pompidou, Radio-France, MANCA (Nice), Philharmonie de Paris (2018),– as well in international Series and Festivals: Ars Electronica (Linz), Archipel Festival (Genève), Iikhom XX (Tachkent), Simn (Bucarest), American Festival of Microtonal Music (New York), Biennale Venezia (2013), Angelica (Bologna, 2014), McGill (Montreal, 2015), Redcat (Los Angeles, 2017), Documenta14 (Kassel), Tectonics (Glasgow, 2018), OnlyConnect (Stavanger, 2019).
She edited Ivan Wyschnegradsky, Libération du son, Ecrits 1916-1979 (Singer-Polignac Award, 2014) and Gilles Deleuze, la pensée-musique, Symétrie (2015), a testimony of her encounter with the french philosopher Gilles Deleuze regarding music. A monographic CD “Pascale Criton. Infra”, is recently released on the label Potlatch (Charles Cros awarded). Her works are published by Jobert Editions (Lemoine distr.) and available from Art&Fact. Among recent works: Wander Steps, for 2 microtonal accordions (commissionned by the Festival Messiaen, 2018), Bothsways for violin and cello (commissionned by Radio-France, 2015), Plis for ensemble and captations (commissionned by the French Ministery of Culture), premiered in Paris, 2018.
Website: http://www.pascalecriton.com