Jean-Luc Defontaine was born in Libourne, France, in 1971. He discovered music through the violin and began his formal studies at the Bordeaux Conservatory. He quickly developed a passion for musical composition and analysis and continued his training at the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique et de Danse de Paris under the tutelage of Roger Boutry, Bernard de Crépy, Thierry Escaich and Alain Louvier. In 1998, he earned the Diplôme de Formation Supérieure d'Écriture, receiving first prizes in harmony, counterpoint, fugue and analysis. He then perfected his orchestration skills with Jean-François Zygel.
During his studies, he also began a career as a composer. His taste for the musical, pictorial, and poetic art of the French Impressionists is evident in his earliest works, which feature refined sound colors. The symphonic Souvenir d'un visage is a case in point : each aural painting takes on a particular hue, as do the different parts of the trio Couleurs d'un rêve. This mosaic of sound is also reflected in the dance-inspired organ piece Pour un vitrail imaginaire. His interest in dance is his second source of inspiration, resulting in numerous pieces with more assertive rhythms. These two influences permeate his entire body of work, shaping music with multiple contrasts.
Jean-Luc Defontaine is a guest composer at the Toulouse les Orgues and Vox Musica festivals. He has also collaborated with members of the Orchestre de Chambre Nouvelle-Aquitaine, the organist Stéphane Bois, the conductor Emmanuel Trenque, the Chœur de l'Opéra de Tours, the Trio George Sand, the Trio Atanassov, the Quatuor Danel and the pianist Gaspard Thomas.
He currently teaches composition and harmony at the Conservatoire à Rayonnement Régional de Poitiers.
