Born: Marseilles, 16 July 1927

French conductor. He was the son of an oboe teacher and studied at the Paris Conservatoire, winning premiers prix in conducting and other subjects, and making his debut in 1950 at the Concerts Lamoureux. He conducted frequently in Paris, toured for the Jeunesses Musicales de France until 1958 and in 1959 was appointed conductor of the Nice-Cote d'Azur RO. From 1962 to 1965 he was resident conductor at the Paris Opera, and he was invited by Karajan to conduct Pelleas et Melisande at La Scala in 1962. He made his debut at the Metropolitan in Les contes d'Hoffmann in 1971, returning in the following three seasons. Baudo has conducted many notable premieres, including Menotti's L'ultimo selvaggio (as Le dernier sauvage, 1963, Paris), Milhaud's La mere coupable (1966, Geneva), Messiaen's Et exspecto resurrectionem mortuorum (1965, Chartres) and La Transfiguration (1969, Lisbon) and works by Daniel-Lesur, Dutilleux, Nigg and Ohana. He was appointed principal conductor of the Orchestre de Paris in 1967 and music director of the Lyons Opera, 1969-71.

After becoming music director (1971-87) of the Rhone-Alpes PO (from 1972 the Lyons National Orchestra), he founded and directed an annual Berlioz Festival to include the composer's operas, but resigned in 1989 when a curtailment of funds put an end to the operatic performances. Baudo has specialized in French and Russian music, giving performances imbued with subtlety and passion, and has composed a number of works including film scores. Among his most impressive recordings are orchestral works by Debussy, Dutilleux, Ravel and Poulenc, Pelleas et Melisande and the symphonies and choral works of Honegger. He has been created a Chevalier of the Legion d'Honneur and awarded the Ordre National de Merite and the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres.

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