THE GROUP

Quatuor Ellipsos Saxophone Quartet

Paul-Fathi Lacombe soprano saxophone

Julien Bréchet alto saxophone

Sylvain Jarry tenor saxophone

Nicolas Herrouët baritone saxophone

Blazing, control and generosity are three terms that often come up about this group, today recognized one of the most prestigious saxophone quartets in the world. After more than twtenty years of existence, his career has led him to give more than 1,000 concerts on the most prestigious French stages - from the Eiffel Tower to the Château de Versailles, from the Salle Pleyel to the Arsenal in Metz, via La Folle Journée de Nantes, the Radio France Montpellier festival and many international stages in more than fifteen countries. Renowned for its versatility, the quartet turns both to the classical repertoire - with a marked predilection for the baroque repertoire - and to the music of our time with works by Escaich, Doss, Lynch, Geiss and Decruck. Very active on records, the ensemble has to date recorded seven award-winning albums, the latest of which, “Fusion”, an association with the organist and composer Thierry Escaich, was released in 2023 by NoMadMusic.

Formed in 2004 in Nantes, the quartet was taught by Paul Meyer and Eric Le Sage at the Paris Conservatory; he also worked with Maurice Bourgue in Avignon, Claire Desert in Paris, Christian Lauba in Bordeaux, and Thierry Escaich with whom a real and lasting bond was forged. Winning unanimously in 2007 the First Prize of the European Competition "Musiques d'Ensemble", organized by the FNAPEC - an "Ellipsos Prize" has since been created, rewarding the best wind ensemble in the competition -, he was since the most broadcasted saxophone quartet on France Musique, and it is also the first saxophone quartet to be awarded a Grammy (Victoire de la Musique Classique) as "Best Ensemble 2020". Collaborating with the National Orchestra of Pays de la Loire, the National Orchestra of Lyon, the Gewandhaus of Leipzig, the Philharmonic Orchestra of Radio France, and with many artists such as Marie-Josèphe Jude, Gordan Nikolic, Eric Le Sage, Franck Braley, Thomas Ospital but also Manu Dibango, Didier Lockwood or the singers Zaza Fournier and Yaël Naïm, since 2018 he has been Ambassador for the Fondation du Souffle (which is committed to the fight against respiratory diseases) and devotes important artistic events to this cause.

He also directs an eponymous collection at Billaudot scores publisher, devoted to works for saxophone in general. On social networks, he created the #SaxophoneFamily, bringing together more than 50,000 followers and saxophone enthusiasts. Join it and subscribe on Youtube, Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

In 2024, the Ellipsos Quartet becomes the ambassador for the japanese company YANAGISAWA. Then the quartet plays on exceptionnal and absolutely unique instruments (WO37GP and WO30BSB series). The quartet keeps beeing supported by the american company D'Addario, the Fondation de France, the SPEDIDAM, the french Ministère de la Culture and the french institut. It is also officially helped by by Frederique Bizeul, the repairs shop in Nantes. Since 2017, the Centre National de la Musique supports the Ellipsos Quartet.

 After more than 20 years of existence, Ellipsos' career led him to play as much in France :

Eiffel Tower, Versailles' Castle, Petit Palais, Hôtel de Matignon, Studio Gabriel, Chatelet theater, Beaux-Arts Academy, Elysee Montmartre, Louvre Museum, La Cigale, Arsenal in Metz, Radio-France Montpellier Festival, International Piano Festival in la Roque d'Antheron, Debussy Festival, Bach Festival, Victoires de la Musique Classique 2020 etc...

.... as on international stages of : 

The United States of America, Brazil, China, South Korea, Morocco, Slovenia,

Finland, Germany, the United Kingdom, Ecuador, Spain, Italy, Switzerland, Belgium, Scotland etc... 

Paul-Fathi Lacombe, soprano saxophone • Julien Brechet, alto saxophone •

Sylvain Jarry, tenor saxophone • Nicolas Herrouet, baritone saxophone 

ELLIPSOS AND CLASSIC SAXOPHONISTS

Originally from Nantes, this quartet distinguishes itself by its open-mindedness and its versatility. He's heading for the classic directory as well as the musics of our time. It recorded in 2007 the eclectic album "Medina" with the saxophonist composer Philippe Geiss, accordeonist Florian Tatard and musicians from Gamelan de la Cité de la Musique (Paris). 

This first opus edited by PASSIONS has sold more than 5000 copies.

The same year, Ellipsos started the direction of a summer academy (regional education authority) in the royal Abbey of Celles-sur-Belle where he welcomes young musicians for training. This is also the opportunity to create collaborations with famous saxophonists : Nicolas Prost, Philippe Geiss, Jean-Charles Richard, Seung-Dong Lee (from Korea), Erik Heimann-Pais (from Brazil), etc.  

OPENING OF THE QUARTET WITH OTHER CLASSIC MUSICIANS

Although his four musicians met during their studies at the National Region Conservatory of Versailles and Cergy (by working with Vincent David and Jean-Yves Fourmeau), the Quartet Ellipsos quickly widened the range of his tutors.

They so received the teaching of Paul Meyer and Eric Le Sage at the Conservatoire de Paris.

During his first years of existence, the quartet regularly worked with various masters such as Maurice Bourgue in Avignon, Claire Désert in Paris,

Thierry Escaich at the "Moulin d'Andé", and the composer Christian Lauba in Bordeaux.

In May 2007, only four years after being established, the Ellipsos Quartet wins the First prize of the FNAPEC International Competition. Awarded by Philippe Nahon and Caroline Casadesus in Paris, this reward creates a buzz. In 2008, Gaëlle Gallic and her programme "Generations interpreters" selects him as the "Crush of the France Musique listeners". The year after, the French government invites him to perform during the World Music Day, live on France Culture and from the Main courtyard of the Matignon Hotel.

The meeting with Thierry Escaich gave rise to a real and sustainable complicity. In 2010, the composer signs the foreword of the third Ellipsos album. In the program of this "Bolero" entitled record, lie both Thierry Escaich's pieces for saxophone quartet, beside Maurice Ravel's famous works. In June 2015, Thierry Escaich gets installed in Jacques Taddéi's chair in the French Academy of Arts. For his installation ceremony, he invites the Ellipsos Quartet to perform under the Dome of the France Institute. The same summer, the organist and the Quartet play for the first time together on stage, during to the Bach Festival in Saint-Donat. This formula has regularly been reproduced since then.

The quartet also collaborates with Orchestre National de Lyon (ONL), Orchestre National des Pays de la Loire (ONPL), or Radio France Philharmonic Orchestra.

MORE UNEXPECTED MEETINGS

The Ellipsos Quartet counts as chamber music partners the following renowned interpreters : Thierry Escaich, Marie-Josephe Jude, Franck Braley, Caroline Casadesus, Jean-François Zygel, the Voce Quartet, the Chausson Trio, Thomas Ospital, Eric Le Sage, Gordan Nikolic. Still, he likes surprises playing with Manu Dibango, Didier Lockwood, the singers Zaza Fournier and Yael Naïm, or the director and actor Coline Serreau.

In 2015, he arouses the interest of the actors Chevallier and Laspales, who invite them to perform with them in Rouen's Zenith.

Following this episode, Michel Drucker tries to learn more about this unique artistic relation. That's why he invites them in his television programme "Can't wait for Sunday" on France 2.

In 2023, The Ellipsos Quartet celebrates his 20th anniversary by commissionning a concerto-ballet to Fabien Waksman. He then composes "A Dream for Artemis" that was premiered with Marie-Josephe Jude in the Roque d'Antheron International Piano Festival and Nice Classic Live Festival on the 4th and 6th of August 2023. It will be premiered with orchestra in the US in Octobre 2024. This work is a real space shuttle, poetically talking about the conquest of space.

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WE THANK OUR INSTITUTIONAL PARTNERS

In 2015, Ellipsos Quartet signs the direction of a new collection to the Publishing company Gérard Billaudot.

The same year, the Quartet got the honor to be chosen to represent France in South Korea during the year France-Korea 2015-2016.

In May 2012, the Ellipsos Quartet was unanimously attributed the yearly grant of the KPMG Foundation.

Besides, he is supported for several years by the SPEDIDAM, the Yanagisawa company, plays BG-Franck Bichon ligatures and plays the D'ADDARIO-Reserve reeds.

For the distribution of contemporary works, the "Centre National de la Musique" provide support to the Ellipsos Quartet.