Pierre Bartholomée was born in 1937 and studied music in the Conservatoire Royal in Brussels. His contacts with Henri Pousseur, André Souris and Pierre Boulez were determinant in the formation of his personality and the orientation of a career rapidly devoted to the creation and distribution of the new music.

In 1962, he founded the Ensemble Musique Nouvelle, at the start of the execution of a work by Pousseur. Also, he was for several years Professor of Analysis in the Brussels Conservatoire. After his appointment as Permanent Director of the Liège Philharmonic Orchestra, he devoted himself almost exclusively to his career as conductor, applying a dynamic policy of extending the répertoire, notably favouring twentieth-century music.

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Among his works we may mention the Cantate aux alentours (1966), the Tombeau de Marin Marois (1967), Harmonique for orchestra (1970), Romance (1973) and Fancy for harp (1974), which was to engender a variety of other pieces, including, Fancy as a ground (1981), an important piece composed for a concert by the Ensemble lntercontemporain in Paris, conducted by the composer himself.

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