Frank Madlener is the General and Artistic Director of the renowned IRCAM (Institut de Recherche et de Coordination Acoustique/Musique) at the Centre Pompidou in Paris. Born in 1968 into a Franco‑German family, he completed advanced musical studies in France and Belgium, encompassing piano, chamber music, analysis, harmony and music history, alongside philosophical studies, with further training in Darmstadt and Salzburg. Madlener’s early career combined artistic direction and international experience: he founded L’Écrit vint à la musique, a concert‑meeting series, and served as assistant conductor at the Opera of Antwerp. From 1998 to 2002, he was Artistic Director of the Ars Musica Festival in Brussels, and he also directed the Musica Festival in Strasbourg in the early 2000s. He is a co‑founder of the European research network Réseau Varèse, dedicated to contemporary composition. Since January 2006, Madlener has led IRCAM, where he has overseen the expansion of the institute’s research, creation and innovation activities at the intersection of art, science and technology. Under his leadership, IRCAM launched the international ManiFeste festival and academy, and created the Vertigo Forum for Art, Design, Architecture, Science and Engineering at the Centre Pompidou. He is also involved in several major European cultural networks and initiatives.