He studied at the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique in Paris with Serge Collot.
In 1981, Pierre Boulez chose him to become principal viola with the Ensemble Intercontemporain. Very active in contemporary creation, he has performed masterpieces from the contemporary solo repertoire for viola (Zimmerman, Maderna, Berio, Donatoni, Nunes, Grisey, Holliger, Ton That Tiet, Lévinas, Ligeti…) at major international festivals and has promoted numerous creations.
In addition to his work as a soloist, he enjoys a successful career as a chamber musician. Since its foundation in 1981, he has been the violist of the Rosamonde Quartet, with which he has an intense international career. He is also frequently invited to sit on the jury of international competitions and to give masterclasses in Europe and the United States.
In 1989, aged only thirty, he succeeded his own teacher, Serge Collot, as professor of viola at the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique in Paris. Many of his former students now play in leading string quartets and hold prominent positions in European orchestras.