Michel Portal

Who is Michel Portal?

Michel Portal is a composer, saxophonist, and clarinetist.

Portal studied clarinet at the Conservatoire de Paris. He also studied conducting with Pierre Dervaux.

During August 1969, Portal played on several of the recordings in Stockhausen's cycle of intuitive works, Aus den sieben Tagen.

Portal might be noted most for scoring music to film, and has won the César Award for Best Music Written for a Film three times. His first win was for the music to The Return of Martin Guerre. He plays both jazz and classical music and is considered to be one of the architects of modern European jazz.

In 1969, Portal co-founded the free improvisation group New Phonic Art with Vinko Globokar, Jean-Pierre Drouet and Carlos Roque Alsina.