As a revered virtuoso and idol, Jean-Pierre Rampal figured prominently in restoring the flute to the exalted position it held during the eighteenth century. He is the first flutist in history to attract worldwide audiences equal to those drawn by master pianists and string players. He is renowned the world over for his numerous performances, recordings, premieres, and commissions. He received the very first Lifetime Achievement Award from the National Flute Association. His talent, generosity, and warmth inspired many. He touched countless lives, and made possible the careers of numerous flutists throughout the second half of the twentieth-century. His recorded legacy lives on as a reminder of his vast contributions to the flute world.

Jean-Pierre Rampal made annual tours of the United States. Highlights of recent seasons include a return to Carnegie Hall in New York, where he played works by Telemann, Bach, Kuhlau, Doppler and Verdi/Hughes; a special commemorative recital at the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C., celebrating the 40th anniversary of his U.S. debut, and additional recitals at Symphony Hall in Boston and at university and college campuses across the U.S. He concertized with various orchestras playing Mozart concerti and appeared at the Hollywood Bowl and at the Tisch Center for the Arts at New York's 92nd Street 'Y' (in a program of works written for and dedicated to Mr. Rampal).

Mr. Rampal's tours of North America have included engagements with the symphony orchestras of New York, Los Angeles, Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Detroit, Indianapolis, Houston, Minnesota, San Francisco, San Diego and Cincinnati. He regularly presented recitals coast-to-coast at all the major venues - Avery Fisher Hall and Carnegie Hall (New York), Orchestra Hall (Chicago), at the Celebrity Series of Boston (Symphony Hall), at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., and in numerous other cities across the United States.

During past summers, Mr. Rampal made yearly visits to New York's Mostly Mozart Festival at Lincoln Center, the Hollywood Bowl and performed at the Ravinia, Tanglewood, Saratoga and Meadowbrook Music Festivals.

In addition to his many engagements in the United States, Mr. Rampal performed throughout Europe and in Japan.

While he is particularly known as a champion of the Baroque, Mr. Rampal's programs ranged from the seventeenth century to the present day, with excursions into jazz, English folk songs, Japanese classics and the music of India. Among contemporary composers who have dedicated works to him are Jean Francaix, André Jolivet, Jean Martinon, Francis Poulenc and Pierre Boulez.

Perhaps the most recorded classical instrumentalist in history, Jean-Pierre Rampal received the Grand Prix du Disque for a number of his recordings. Recent releases include Romantic Music for Two Flutes and Piano with flutist Claudi Arimany and pianist John Steele Ritter for Delos Records and from Sony Classical, "Pla: Catalan Flute Music of the 18th Century," and "Penderecki Gala," with various artists. Additional recordings include Vivaldi's The Four Seasons, In Concert with Kathleen Battle, Italian Baroque Flute Concertos, Vivaldi: Six Double Concertos , an all-Mozart disc with John Steele Ritter and Pierre Pierlot, a disc of trios with Isaac Stern and Mstislav Rostropovich and Music for Flute and Harp with Marielle Nordmann, all from Sony Classical. Mr. Rampal holds the distinction of being the first classical artist ever to have a recording near the top of the Billboard Music chart for over a decade - Bolling's Suite for Flute and Jazz Piano .

In 1989, with the release of his autobiography Music, My Love from Random House (along with a CBS Masterworks recording of the same title), Mr. Rampal added author to his list of achievements. Mr. Rampal's book has since been translated into four languages and, as a result of his world travels and delight in various cultures, he wrote a preface to The Book of Sushi .

Jean-Pierre Rampal has had many honors bestowed upon him; among them are the 1996 Lotos Club Medal of Merit in recognition of his lifetime achievements; the Leonie Sonning Prize, the Prix du Président de la République and the Prix de l'Académie Charles Cros for his entire discography. He was appointed a Commandeur de la Légion d'Honneur, Commandeur des Arts des Lettres and Commandeur de l'Ordre National du Mérite.

Mr. Rampal was born in Marseilles, France, where his father was first flutist with the Symphony and professor of flute at the Conservatory. Although Mr. Rampal's father did not encourage his son to become a professional flutist, he did give him lessons starting in early childhood. Jean-Pierre Rampal's decision to make the flute his life's work came about under dramatic circumstances during World War II. He was in his third year of medical school when the Nazi occupation forces drafted him for compulsory labor in Germany. Refusing to comply, he went underground and headed for Paris. Once there, he decided to attend classes at the Conservatoire National and five months later graduated with first prize in flute playing. After the liberation of Paris, he became the first flutist with the Paris Opéra, gave solo recitals on the radio and, with harpsichordist Robert Veyron-Lacroix, toured the musical capitals of Europe.