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Born near Belfort (France) in 1960, Michel Godard soon established himself as an extraordinarily versatile exponent of the tuba, pursuing a career in jazz and classical music. Today he is a leading tuba virtuoso and serpent player in jazz and improvisation. His clear, warm tone, his ability to produce overtones ("multiphonics") and his natural musicality leaves renders a seemingly cumbersome instrument delicate and agile. In 1979 he took up the tuba's ancestor, the serpent. The instrument's ivory mouthpiece gives it a characteristic warm and intense tone. With this "second" instrument, Michel Godard has taken yet another step in broadening the field of expression in ancient music as well as in jazz. Since 2002,he has been serpent teacher at the "Conservatoire national de musique" in Paris. In the classical domain, Michel Godard has played since 1988 with the Radio-France Philharmonic Orchestra, the French National Orchestra, the Ensemble Musique Vivante, , the ancient music Ensemble La Venice and "XVIII-21Musique de Lumieres". He was also a member of the "Arban Chamber Brass" quintet  (touring Japan, the U.S., Africa) and interprets works from the solo repertory, too. He gives international master classes, and has been discovered by European jazz and the avant garde. On the jazz side he was a member of the French Orchestre National de Jazz from 1989 to 1991 . Since then, all over Western and Southern Europe Michel Godard has been involved in numerous creative projects with Michel Portal, Louis Sclavis, Henry Texier, Enrico Rava, Kenny Wheeler, Ray Anderson, Rabih Abou-Khalil, Sylvie Courvoisier,  Linda Sharrock,  Misha Mengelberg, Willem Breuker and many more. As a composer, Michel Godard was commissioned by Radio France (“Penthés(il)ée II”), Donaueschinger Musiktage/Südwestrundfunk (“de mémoire de tuba”, “Tra la folla, mora, mormora” , “Praeludium”), French Ministere de la Culture (“Bradamente aux aguets”, “les enfants d’un paradis”). He records his own material: "Archangelica", "ImpertinAnce", "Cousins Germains" for  CAMjazz, "Castel del monte", "Tubatuba" for  Enja, "Deep", "trio rouge" for  Intuition..........Michel Godard also played and recorded with the pipeband of the Normandy town Quimper, with reggae star Alpha Blondy and with "Canterbury" rock musicians John Greaves and Pip Pyle. Together with harpsichordist Freddy Echelberger, he collaborates with writer Nancy Huston (Tendres ténèbres, pérégrinations Goldberg, Tentatives de renaissance)

http://www.michel-godard.fr