Biography

Photo  Elodie Jarrier 2024

François Ribac and Eva Schwabe met in 1990, in Metz, during the European theatre festival Harlekin Art (directed by Didier Doumergue). They have been together ever since.

Eva Schwabe is a singer, actress, librettist, stage designer and director in the tradition of the musical theatre of Kurt Weill and Bertolt Brecht; she has also performed tango and directed her own theatre company in Germany. A composer and bassist/guitarist, François Ribac initially explored the worlds of rock and jazz; then, from the mid-1980s onwards, he completed his training by studying harmony with Philippe Drogoz and electroacoustics. He has composed music for theatre, dance and television.

In 1995, François and Eva founded their own musical theatre company and named it after themselves: Compagnie Ribac-Schwabe. Their operas are often bi- or even trilingual and integrate forms such as film, video, radio documentary, visual arts and even botany. Many of the librettos include texts by poets: William Blake, Omar Khayyam, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, Georg Büchner, Yvan Goll, Hilde Domin, Paul Celan, Gertrude Stein and, for the living, Hervé Le Tellier and the English poet Martin Newell. The duo have also frequently designed the set and lighting and directed their own productions.

Since the early 2000s, the music has a strong pop influence, both in terms of vocal style and instrumentation. This “turning point” was particularly evident in collaborations with leading figures from the British and Irish rock scenes: singers Cathal Coughlan (formerly of Microdisney and Fatima Mansions) and Martin Newell, and guitarist Dave Gregory (formerly of XTC). In terms of long-standing collaborations, mention should also be made of the singer (and accordionist) Marie Faye, who has been working with the duo for over ten years, as well as a long-standing friendship with the opera director Denis Krief and the team of musicians from the Herméneutique Orchestra.

Since 2013, the Compagnie Ribac/Schwabe has developed large-scale projects, in which groups of local residents, alongside amateur and professional music and theatre ensembles, have explored various themes (ranging from George Harrison to the ecological transition) through a series of concerts, before bringing them to life on stage; at the same time, the company has devoted itself to recording and publishing its operas.

The Compagnie Ribac-Schwabe made its debut at the Péniche Opéra in Paris in October 1995. Since then, eleven productions have been created: Un Demi-Siècle/Ein halbes Jahrhundert (1995), Kinopéra (1996–97), Le Regard de Lyncée (1998–99), MIHAO (2000), Qui est Fou ? (2002–03), Le Petit Traité POP du Jardin Botanique (2004–2006), La Noce des Platines (2007–2008), La Mélodie de l’Ombre (2008–2010), Tout un Monde de Strates (2013), Le Grand Orchestre de la Transition (2019) and a cabaret featuring songs by Kurt Weill, Eisler and Ribac. The shows are mainly performed in France within the public theatre network and at music venues, but also in Benelux and Germany.

The duo’s albums are released by the labels Gazul/Muséa (France) and No Man’s Land/Review Records (Germany) and are, for the most part, available on streaming platforms.

Together or separately, François Ribac and Eva Schwabe have been winners of the Beaumarchais/SACD award (1995 and 2007), the Louis Lumière–Villa Médicis hors les Murs grant from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (1996), the SACEM–GEMA fund (1998), the Pro-Lyrica/SACD National Musical Theatre Competition (1999) and the ‘En quête d’auteurs’ programme run by the AFAA and Beaumarchais (2003). François Ribac received commissions from ‘Musique Nouvelle en Liberté’ in 1995 and 1999 and from the Ministry of Culture (1997). From 1999 to 2001, the company was affiliated with the Forum Culturel du Blanc-Mesnil and then, in 2007, with the Espace 1789 in Saint-Ouen. Many of the productions were staged at the Moulin du Roc/Scène Nationale de Niort (1996–2006). The France-Telecom Foundation for Opera supported these projects on three occasions.

At the same time, François Ribac was conducting research in sociology. He served successively as a senior lecturer at the University of Dijon and then as a professor of sociology at the Burgundy School of Business (Dijon, Lyon, Paris). He is the author of several books, has led research projects and regularly presented his work within professional performing arts and academic networks. You can find out more about his work on the ‘François Ribac – sociologist’ page on our website.