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 himself.

 

Frequently invited to perform with major symphony orchestras and contemporary ensembles, Augustin Viard is a sought-after artist on the international scene.

His repertoire spans 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, Thierry Fischer...

The tones of his authentic ondes Martenot have resonated 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).

 

Augustin Viard’s artistic landscape also extends to the world of cinema, being called upon to compose and perform original film scores.

He 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, Nicolas Becker...

 

Augustin Viard also ventures into the field of pop and rock music with collaborations 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.

 

Always eager to explore new artistic paths, he is currently developing a cinema screening with live music based on the silent movie The Fall of the House of Usher (1928) by Jean Epstein.

For this project, he composed an original score for ondes Martenot solo, which he performs entirely live. Designed as a fully immersive image and sound experience this creation reflects his ongoing desire to blur the boundaries between art forms.

 

Through his performances and recordings, Augustin Viard continues to explore and bring the ondes Martenot to life in ever-evolving contexts, helping to keep this unique instrument vibrant and relevant in today’s musical landscape.