Julien Mégroz (1986* CH) is a percussionist, composer, improviser and performer, specialized in experimental and new music.
Julien began percussion and drums in 1995. He studied jazz vibraphone with Philippe Cornaz (CH) and classical percussion with Thierry Besancon (CH). Student in the class of Stéphane Borel (CH) at the Haute Ecole de Musique de Lausanne (CH), he received in 2008 the first prize of marimba in the National Competition of Musical Interpretation of Riddes (CH). He obtained a Bachelor in Arts in 2009 and went to the Royal Danish Academy of Music in Copenhagen (DK) where he studied with Gert Mortensen, Johan Bridger and Morten Friis from famous Safri Duo. Back in Lausanne in 2011, he obtained a Master in Performance with unanunimous congratulations from the jury. He then studied two year at the Hochschule für Musik Basel, and obtained in 2013 a Master in specialized performance: new music, where he studied with Christian Dierstein, Mike Svoboda, Marcus Weiss, Jürg Henneberger and Matthias Würsch. In 2013-14, in the frame of a Certificate of Advanced Studies, he studied free improvisation with Alfred Zimmerlin and Fred Frith.
Julien plays solo concerts and chamber music concerts in Switzerland, Europe and South America. He regularly collaborates with different swiss ensembles and international festivals. Julien is active member of the ensembles NEC (Nouvel Ensemble Contemporain), We Spoke, soyuz21, Collegium Novum Zürich, the chamber performing 4tet too hot to hoot?, the HYPER DUO together with the pianist Gilles Grimaître and the music-theater group Compagnie du Bouc.
Attending physical theater courses at the Tatwerk School in Berlin and workshops at Court Florent in Bruxelles, Julien was also participating in several theater pieces and performances including shows with La compagnie du bouc (The legend of the devil’s bridge in 2013, Ö Rö planned for 2019) et created two solos Monsieur Plouc in 2015 and La table des matières in 2018.
He composes théâtre-musical pieces and conceptual music for percussion, chamber music ensembles and theater. His music was already performed in Switzerland, Germany, Austria, France and Peru.
Julien received prices by the foundations Knechtli and Nicati-De Luze in 2012, Irène Dénéréaz in 2012 and 2013, as well as the culture price of the region of Nyon “RégioNyon” (CH). In 2014, his released his first solo record Natur/Maschine with six pieces for solo percussion written by swiss composers.
In 2013, he created the Association For Schlag which manages his own projects.
www.julienmegroz.ch