Born in Besançon (France) Julien Compagne studied piano and classical percussion at the conservatory there for almost 10 years. In 2004, he decided to settle in Montréal where he received a Master’s in classical percussion under the direction of Robert Leroux, Julien Grégoire and Louis Charbonneau. He then specialized with Paul Picard (Céline Dion, Zachary Richard…) in popular percussion. A versatile live and studio musician, he collaborated with many well-known classical and contemporary groups (NEM, SMCQ, OSD…) but also with several renowned pop artists including Jorane, Patrick Watson, Johnny Hallyday, Lewis Furey, Ima, Michel Legrand, Grégory Charles and even Aretha Franklin. A trip for training purposes to Brazil and an involvement in world music groups such as Gamelan Giri Kedaton, Le Bloco, Chimpum Calao and Écho Mandingue added a traditional phase to his eclectic career. He won first prize at the Université de Montréal concertos competition, first prize at the Jeunesses Musicales de France competition, but has also been a member since 2012 of the percussion group Sixtrum and a founding member of the two piano and percussion Quatrix quartet and of the Video Phase project. His work as a composer relies on his penchant for the blending of genres and experimentation. In all that he undertakes, he pursues two mutual objectives: to popularize a music that is scarcely accessible, and to introduce into popular works unusual tones and colors.

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