Debost, Michel

Michel Debost was a well-known French flutist. Born in Paris, he studied flute with Gaston Crunelle and Marcel Moyse. Besides learning the flute, he initially obtained a degree in science (1952) and in flute performance (1954). By the age of 30, he had won all major competitions: Moscow, Prague, Munich, Geneva, and Turin.  For thirty years, he was Principal flute in the Orchestre de Paris, performing under many prominent conductors and music directors of the orchestra of that time: Herbert von Karajan, Charles Munch, and Daniel Barenboim. Later, he replaced Jean-Pierre Rampal as Professor of flute at the Conservatoire de Paris.
Michel Debost has made numerous acclaimed recordings for a variety of major labels (EMI, Virgin Classics, DG, Sony Classics).
In 1989, Michel Debost, along with his wife and flutist Kathleen Chastain, moved to the United States to teach flute at the Oberlin Conservatory in Oberlin, Ohio (until his retirement in 2011). In 1996, he published a book, “A Simple Flute”. Debost’s most valuable advice to aspiring students: “Never separate the instrument from music,” still applies to everyone who wants to master the flute.