Sébastien Llinares is a French guitarist, improviser, composer and producer whose artistic approach lies at the crossroads of the classical, contemporary, baroque, jazz and improvised worlds. Born in 1978, he began playing guitar in Perpignan before studying at the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique de Paris, where he worked with such masters as Roland Dyens, Olivier Chassain and Lazhar Cherouana.
His career is distinguished by a singular approach to the instrument: he does not limit himself to the classical repertoire, but traverses it, questions it, and opens it up to other musical languages. He has won particular acclaim for his interpretations of J.S. Bach (the complete French Suites transcribed for guitar), his work on Spanish composers (Albéniz, Granados, Mompou), and his own creations and improvisations.
An eclectic musician, he multiplies cross-disciplinary collaborations. He performs solo, in duo or in atypical formations, with links to jazz, contemporary music and musical theater. He regularly works with artists from a wide range of backgrounds, including Vincent Segal, Thomas Enhco, Émilie Lesbros and Benjamin Alard. In 2019, he launched the “Guitare Classique” project on France Musique, a series of programs that he conceives, produces and hosts, and which is becoming a benchmark in the guitar world. His free, poetic and erudite tone brings together rare works, masterpieces of the repertoire and unexpected improvisations.
Among his outstanding recordings are Bach – Suites françaises (Evidence Classics, 2020), unanimously acclaimed by the critics, and Lignes (2023), an album interweaving personal compositions, film scores and tributes to 20th-century masters. His practice of improvisation – which he sees as a natural extension of performance – nurtures a sensitive, lively and renewed relationship with each work.
Sébastien Llinares performs regularly on major French and European stages (Philharmonie de Paris, Salle Cortot, Festival Radio France, Arsenal de Metz, Printemps des Arts, etc.) and takes part in numerous creative projects. At the same time, he pursues a demanding teaching activity, passing on his free and inventive vision of the guitar to younger generations.
An artist on the bangs of conventional circuits, he embodies a deeply personal way of inhabiting music: committed, curious, unpredictable – in the service of an ever-changing quest for beauty.
