Amine Soufari’s “Réminiscences”: Weaving Memory, Culture, and Silence into Award-Winning Music
- WOMCO
- Aug 11
- 3 min read
Amine Soufari received the Diamond Prize in the Original Composition category at the 2025 Season 3 Debussy International Music Competition for his work Réminiscences.
What inspired you to compose Réminiscences, and how did you shape its structure and dynamics to express the ideas or emotions you wished to communicate?
Réminiscences is a deeply personal work. It was born from the desire to explore memory both individual and collective , through music. I wanted to evoke fleeting images, emotional traces, and cultural resonances, especially those connected to my North African and Mediterranean roots.
The piece unfolds like a journey through fragmented memories: moments of suspended lyricism alternate with more rhythmic or unstable sections. The orchestration acts as an expressive palette, playing with textures, contrast, warmth… and silence ,which I consider just as expressive as sound itself.
How did you collaborate with the Budapest Symphony Orchestra for the music recording, and were there any memorable moments during the session?
The recording of Réminiscences with the Budapest Radio Symphony Orchestra, conducted by François Rousset, took place in excellent conditions. The orchestra demonstrated great professionalism, attentive listening, and strong artistic commitment.
The studio work allowed us to refine the textures and balances of the piece while preserving its expressiveness and contrasts. François Rousset’s precise and sensitive conducting was instrumental in the success of this session.
Would you like to share your experience participating in our competition and anyone you'd like to thank?
In the Debussy International Music Competition was an enriching and rewarding experience. It offers valuable visibility to composers from diverse backgrounds and provides a platform where musical individuality is truly welcomed.
I’m sincerely grateful to the jury for their recognition, and I would like to thank all those who supported this work particularly the musicians of Sinfonia Toronto and the Budapest Radio Symphony Orchestra for their dedication and artistry.
A special thank-you goes to my composition mentor, Régis Campo, whose guidance has been instrumental throughout my artistic development.
Biography
Amine Soufari is an Algerian musician born in Laghouat, in the south of the country. A trained pianist, he began his studies at the Conservatory of Algiers, where he earned his diploma with highest honors. Arriving in France in 2014, he continued his education in musicology at Aix-Marseille University, while broadening his artistic scope to composition, choir conducting, and orchestral direction. At the Marseille Conservatory, he was awarded several prizes, including those for choir conducting, composition, and orchestral conducting, demonstrating both technical mastery and a sensitive understanding of the multifaceted musician’s craft. His work lies at the crossroads of traditional Arab music, contemporary music, and improvisation. He composes and conducts with the aim of fostering dialogue between cultures, aesthetics, and audiences. In 2019, he founded the ensemble Dune Rive à l’Autre, an orchestra with mixed sounds , combining voices, classical instruments, traditional percussion, and unexpected timbres , explores Mediterranean music from a distinctly modern perspective. Alongside his artistic work, Amine is deeply involved in numerous educational and community projects, particularly in Marseille and Aix-en-Provence, collaborating with organizations such as Orchestre à l’École and Concerts de Poche. He has been invited to collaborate with the Maîtrise de Radio France, the Aix-en-Provence Festival, and the Opera of Brussels. His works, such as Rêve au soleil, Nous sommes demain, and Au-delà de l’exil, are often designed to bring together professional and amateur musicians, children’s choirs, and local orchestras in a shared creative process. As an engaged artist, he champions music that is open, alive, and accessible without being simplified, music that connects, tells stories, and honors both memory and invention.
