Michel Poulet, the former cellist of the renowned Ysaÿe Quartet, has passed away. Poulet joined the quartet in 1986, succeeding Carlos Dourthe, and remained a member until 1995, when Marc Coppey took over. The Ysaÿe Quartet, which disbanded in 2014 after three decades of music, enjoyed a celebrated career during his time with them.
Poulet was awarded first prizes in cello and chamber music at the Paris Conservatoire in 1982. Following his tenure with the Ysaÿe Quartet, the ensemble achieved second prizes at the Trapani and Portsmouth International Competitions in 1987 and 1988, as well as first and special prizes at the Evian Competition in France during the same period.
His passing has led to heartfelt tributes across social media. Violist Louis Merlet remembered him as “a warm, demanding, and caustic-minded colleague,” while cellist Marion Oudin shared that “his recordings of the Mozart and Mendelssohn quartets rocked my childhood—one couldn’t have hoped for better musical learning!”
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