French conductor Michaël Cousteau has earned international recognition as a musician of remarkable versatility, distinguished for his command of both operatic and symphonic repertoire ranging from the Baroque period to contemporary works.
In France, he has appeared with major ensembles including the Orchestre National de Lyon, Orchestre National de Montpellier, Orchestre Symphonique et Lyrique de Nancy, Orchestre de Cannes, Orchestre de Picardie, and Orchestre Colonne. His engagements across Europe have included performances with the Orchestre Philharmonique du Luxembourg, the Netherlands Radio Kamer and Radio Symphony Orchestras, the Moscow Chamber Orchestra, and both the Belarus Radio and Belarus National Orchestras.
Cousteau maintains a particularly active presence in Italy (Filarmonica Arturo Toscanini, Orchestra Sinfonica Città di Grosseto, Orchestra Lirico Sinfonica del Teatro del Giglio di Lucca), Romania (Filarmonica Banatul, Filarmonica Moldova, Mihail Jora Philharmonic), Portugal (Orquestra Metropolitana de Lisboa, Orquestra Clássica da Madeira, Orquestra Clássica do Centro), the Middle East (Royal Oman Symphony Orchestra, Lebanon National Orchestra), and throughout Asia (Bangkok Symphony Orchestra, Nusantara Philharmonic, Taoyuan New Philharmonic, Vietnam National Orchestra). He made his South American debut in Argentina in 2023 (Orquesta Sinfónica de Córdoba, Orquesta Filarmónica de Mendoza) and in Brazil in 2025 (Orquestra Petrobras Sinfônica in Rio de Janeiro, Orquestra Sinfônica do Teatro Nacional Claudio Santoro in Brasília, and Orquestra Sinfônica do Teatro da Paz in Belém).
Since 2009, Cousteau has developed a special relationship with the Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra, which he has conducted on several occasions, as well as with numerous ensembles across China (China National Orchestra, Shenzhen Symphony Orchestra, Xiamen Philharmonic Orchestra, Sichuan Philharmonic, Wuhan Opera House Orchestra, among others). During the 2024–2025 season, he led a tour of over twenty -five concerts across major Chinese cities with the French opera company l’Opéra Éclaté, presenting a program exploring the influence of French literature on the operatic repertoire.
Dedicated to supporting the next generation of musicians, Cousteau regularly conducts youth and conservatory orchestras, including those of the elite Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique de Paris, the Berlin Landesjugendorchester (with several tours in France, Germany and Poland), the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts Orchestra, and the National Conservatory Orchestra of Mexico. A passionate pedagogue, he teaches conducting at the Pôle Supérieur d’Enseignement Artistique Paris–Boulogne-Billancourt and gives masterclasses and lectures on the art of conducting at leading universities, conservatories, and cultural institutions worldwide. Socially engaged, he actively contributes to educational initiatives promoting access to classical music in underprivileged areas, including DEMOS (Dispositif d’Éducation Musicale à Vocation Sociale) in France, Néojiba(Núcleos Estaduais de Orquestras Juvenis e Infantis da Bahia) in Brazil, and the Escuela de Iniciación Musical Santa Cecilia in Mexico.
Renowned for his imaginative programming, Cousteau creates concerts of both intellectual depth and emotional warmth. His work is regularly supported by the Institut Français, in recognition of his advocacy for French repertoire and his innovative programming, which often juxtaposes canonical and lesser-known composers to address themes of international resonance. He has participated in numerous cultural collaborations, including the France–Romania and France–Portugal Cross Years (2019, 2022) and, recently, the Temporada França–Brasil 2025. He maintains a fervent interest in resurrecting forgotten musical gems, including on period instruments.
Earlier in his career, Cousteau served as assistant conductor to Gary Bertini (Opéra de Paris), Zoltán Peskó (Deutsche Oper am Rhein), and Emmanuel Krivine (Orchestre National de Lyon, French National Youth Orchestra). Trained as both a cellist and pianist, he pursued advanced studies at the Conservatoire de Reims and the Conservatoire de Paris, where he received distinctions in conducting, music analysis, orchestration, and composition. He later studied with Julius Kalmar and Karl Österreicher (Hochschule für Musik, Vienna, Austria), and participated in masterclasses with and Peter Eötvös, Eri Klas, and Ton Koopman (Kiril Kondrashin Masterclasses, Netherlands). Ilya Musin & Myung-Whun Chung (Accademia Chigiana, Siena), Yuri Ahronovitch (Riva Music Festival, Italy) and Zoltán Peskó (International Bartòk Seminar, Szombathely Ungary).
Michaël Cousteau 