Jean-François Taillard

Jean-François Taillard is principal horn of the Sinfonieorchester Basel and an active and sought-after musical arranger whose work spans brass, chamber, and symphonic repertoire. His experience as an orchestral soloist informs a distinctive approach to arranging, marked by a deep understanding of instrumental colour, balance, and playability. He collaborates regularly with major international ensembles and orchestras. His arrangements are performed by distinguished soloists such as cellist Sol Gabetta and renowned singers including Montserrat Caballé, Elena Mosuc, Vesselina Kasarova, Simone Kermes, Vivica Genaux, and Cecilia Bartoli. Among his notable projects is an arrangement of Maurice Ravel's Le Tombeau de Couperin, recorded by the Sinfonieorchester Basel for a CD devoted exclusively to Ravel's works. These arrangements were subsequently taken up in performance under the direction of Heinz Holliger. A full album dedicated to his arrangements for large brass ensemble - scored for six trumpets, four horns, four trombones, two tubas, and percussion - was released under the direction of Fred Mills (formerly of the Canadian Brass). In 2013, he also contributed arrangements to the recording Russie éternelle with GECA Brass. Jean-François Taillard has also responded to a number of commissions, notably from the Orchestre symphonique de Mulhouse and the Mëdchenkantorei Basel. In autumn 2025 and January 2026, he created several new orchestrations for the Sinfonieorchester Basel, highlighting the orchestra's own soloists in a concert he conducted himself. Through a refined sense of orchestral colour and a performer's perspective from within the orchestra, his arrangements seek to preserve the character of the original works while opening new sonic perspectives for performers and audiences alike.

Jean-François Taillard began his musical studies with Robert Faller at the Conservatoire de Musique in La Chaux-de-Fond (Switzerland), his hometown. He continued his studies at the Conservatoire Supérieur de Musique in Geneva under the tutelage of Gregory Cass, where he was awarded the First Prize in French Horn performance in 1985. Mr. Taillard has received the Swiss Youth Musical Award, the Bela Siki Prize, and is a laureate of the Skene Aberdeen Festival Competition (Scotland).
In 1984, Jean-François Taillard was named Second Horn of the Radiosinfonieorchester Basel, before finishing his studies. Two years later he was appointed Principal Horn in the same orchestra. He is currently Principal Horn of the Sinfonieorchester Basel.
Jean-François Taillard also performs regularly with the Cappella Gabetta and the Kammerorchester Basel.
Mr. Taillard was long playing on a Reto Spada Horn (unique model) ; now he plays on instruments build by Engelbert Schmid (from august 2017 onwards). He is also playing on a historic Courtois natural horn (1820) and a Jungwirth Vienna horn. On his request, Rainer Egger has build a baroque natural horn after Eichentopf and a copy of a Raoux natural horn (2020).

Samples

Gustav Malher, Kindertotenlieder No 1 with the GECA brass
Johannes Brahms, Trio für Klavier, Violine und Waldhorn with Brigitte Garzia-Capdeville and Axel Schacher
Wolfgang A. Mozart, Marcia alla francese, KV 251 with the Swiss Baroque Soloists
Ludwig van Beethoven, Septet for Winds and Strings
Georg Friedrich Haendel, from Riccardo Primo with the Kammerorchester Basel (Mark Gebahrt, Second Horn)
Anton Bruckner (Hanns Eisler), Symphony No 7 with the Sinfonieorchester Basel (at minute 22:00)