French composer Yann Robin began his musical studies in Aix-en-Provence. He was then accepted to the jazz class at the Marseille Regional Conservatory (CNR), and simultaneously entered Georges Boeuf’s composition class. At the Paris Conservatory (CNSMD) he graduated in composition, in Frédéric Durieux’s class, and analysis in Michaël Levinas’s class. He received a scholarship from the Meyer Foundation, and awards from the Académie des Beaux-Arts and the Salabert Foundation. From 2006-08 he attended two years of computer music courses at IRCAM. In 2011 he won SACEM’s Symphonic Music Grand Prize. 

In 2004 Yann Robin began a long-term collaboration with Alain Billard, clarinet soloist of the Ensemble Intercontemporain for whom he wrote his Art of Metal cycle, which includes three pieces for metal contrabass clarinet. The collaboration resulted in a monographic disc Vulcano / Art of Metal, released by Kairos in Autumn 2012. The album was part of IRCAM’s “Sirènes” collection, and featured the Ensemble Intercontemporain conducted by Susanna Mälkki. The CD received the Diapason d’Or, the Preis der Deutschen Schallplattenkritik and a Coup de Coeur from the Académie Charles Cros.

From 2008 to 2009, Yann Robin worked on the OMax music software environment as a research composer at IRCAM. In 2005 he founded the Ensemble Multilatérale with several other composers, becoming its artistic director. From 2009 to 2010, Yann Robin was a resident at the French Academy in Rome, the Villa Medici. During his stay he founded a new contemporary music festival, the Controtempo Festival. He has been the festival’s artistic director ever since.

Yann Robin is frequently invited to give lectures, and he is also in demand as a composition professor for lessons and masterclasses. For the 2015-2016 season he is a visiting professor at “le Fresnoy”, the National Studio for Contemporary Arts (FR).