François Pantillon

François Pantillon (15 January 1928 – 14 February 2025) was a Swiss conductor, composer and violinist. He is particularly known as choral conductor and has directed the city choirs of Neuchâtel, Bern, and Bienne. From 1986 to 2011 he was the musical director of the City Orchestra of Thun. He was also a regular guest conductor of the Orchestre de la Suisse Romande’s summer concerts. His compositions include the opera Die Richterin and the oratorio Clameurs du monde. Life and career Pantillon was born in La Chaux-de-Fonds to a musical family. His great-grandfather Zacharie was a violinist who had studied in Berlin under Joseph Joachim and was active in the musical life of La Chaux-de-Fonds, organizing concerts which brought Saint-Saëns, Massenet, and other prominent musicians to the city. His grandfather Georges-Albert was the author of a textbook on solfège which was widely used in the French-speaking schools of Switzerland. His father Georges-Louis (1896-1992), also a violinist and composer, was one of the founders of the Collège musical de La Chaux-de-Fonds (originally known as the Société Suisse de Pédagogie Musicale) and served as its director from 1947 to 1978. Taught by his fa