Karol Beffa

Karol Beffa is a Franco-Swiss composer, pianist, and musicologist. A former child actor, he later studied at the École Normale Supérieure and the Paris Conservatoire, earning top honours in multiple disciplines. He holds a PhD in musicology and teaches at ENS. His catalogue includes over 100 works—concert music, film scores, operas, ballets—and has been performed by leading orchestras like the London Symphony and Orchestre National de France. His style combines lyrical textures (‘clouds’) with rhythmic drive (‘clocks’) and often references past composers or literary and visual arts. Beffa also improvises live on piano, including for silent films and public themes, and collaborates with actors, authors, and visual artists. He has won multiple awards, including two Victoires de la Musique Classique and the SACEM Grand Prize.