French conductor MARC MINKOWSKI is particularly known for his outstanding successes in the field of opera, for his concerts and for his work with Les Musiciens du Louvre-Grenoble. He appears regularly at the Salzburg and Aix-en-Provence Festivals, at the Opera de Paris and at the Théâtre du Châtelet. Minkowski began his career as a bassoonist before studying with Charles Bruck at the Pierre Monteux Conducting School (USA). In 1984, he founded the period-instrument ensemble Les Musiciens du Louvre. Together with this ensemble, Minkowski has achieved international success both in concerts and recordings and has been instrumental in the revival and recording of many rare operas by Gluck (Armide, Alceste and lphigénie en Tauride), Rameau (Hyppolyte et Aricie) and Lully (Phaéton). Minkowski has an extensive discography and an exclusive recording contract with Archiv Produktion. His debut recording for them of Rameau's Hippolyte et Aricie received numerous prizes, among them an Orphée d'Or and the Cannes Classical Award. In 1999 he won a Diapason d'Or for his recording of Offenbach's Orphée aux Enfers.