Augustin Viard (ondes Martenot)

French musician and composer Augustin Viard explores unique sonic worlds through his instrument of choice, the ondes Martenot, which he uses to express his musical eclecticism. A graduate of the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique de Paris, he is now one of the few professional ondists active today and owns several authentic models built by the inventor Maurice Martenot.

Frequently invited to perform with major symphony orchestras and contemporary ensembles, Augustin Viard is a sought-after artist on the international scene. His repertoire includes the most significant works written for the ondes Martenot, including those by Olivier Messiaen (Turangalîla-Symphony, Saint François d’Assise), Arthur Honegger (Jeanne d’Arc au bûcher) and Edgard Varèse (Ecuatorial), performed under the direction of renowned conductors such as Kent Nagano, Maxime Pascal, Susanna Mälkki, and Thierry Fischer.

He has performed alongside prestigious orchestras in France (Ensemble intercontemporain, Ensemble Le Balcon, Orchestre National de Lille), throughout Europe (Philharmonisches Staatsorchester Hamburg, Radio Filharmonisch Orkest, Polish National Radio Symphony Orchestra, Romanian National Opera Orchestra), and beyond (Utah Symphony – USA, Orquesta Filarmónica de la UNAM – Mexico).

In the world of cinema Augustin Viard wrote the soundtrack for Earwig, a feature film by Lucile Hadžihalilović (San Sebastián International Film Festival’s Jury Grand Prize winner). His original score attracted international press praise, being described as “gorgeous, otherworldly” (The Daily Telegraph). His musical creativity and distinctive playing have led him to contribute to major productions such as Loveless (Jury Prize at the Cannes Film Festival, César for Best Foreign Film), Blonde, and Asphalt City (official selection at the Cannes Film Festival), collaborating with acclaimed composers including Evgueni Galperine, Warren Ellis, and Nicolas Becker.

In the field of pop and rock music Augustin Viard has collaborated on albums by Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds (Ghosteen) and Marianne Faithfull (The Lady of Shalott), amongst others. 2025 saw French national state broadcaster Radio France release a full album composed and performed by Augustin Viard and Narumi Herisson, La Japonaise, on the station’s own label Radiophonie.

Augustin Viard is currently developing a cinema screening with live music based on the silent film The Fall of the House of Usher by legendary French filmmaker Jean Epstein. For this project he has composed an original score for solo ondes Martenot which he performs live.

He is Professor of ondes Martenot at the Conservatoire de Boulogne Billancourt.