RICHARD DUBUGNON was born in Lausanne (Switzerland) in 1968 and has both Swiss and French nationalities. He started music at the age of 20 after reading History in Montpellier (France) and was accepted in 1992 at the Paris Conservatoire, where he graduated with three prizes: 1er Prix for Counterpoint (1993), 1er Prix for Double Bass (1995) and 2nd Prix for Fugue (1994). Richard also studied Composition at the Royal Academy of Music in London from which he graduated in 1997 with a DipRAM (the highest distinction of the Academy) and a Mmus degree (master) of Composition before becoming a fellow there in 1998-99. In 2002, he became the recipient of the Pierre Cardin Prize from the Académie des Beaux Arts and received the Natexis Banques Populaires Award for music and the Hervé Dugardin Prize from SACEM in 2006 (France). 

He is currently the composer in residence with the Orchestre National de Montpellier (France). Future projects include a song cycle with orchestra for the soprano Anna Caterina Antonacci and Orchestre National de France and a symphonic work for Esa-Pekka Salonen.

Emmanuel Krivine has given the American première of his Arcanes Symphoniques with the Dallas Symphony Orchestra in January 2004 to great acclaim. Conductors like Mikko Franck, Ed Gardner, Daniel Kawka, Jesus Lopez-Cobos, Laurent Petitgirard, Peter Rundel and Muhai Tang have also championed and recorded his music. Orchestras who performed his music also include the Orchestre de Chambre de Lausanne, Orchestre National de France, Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France, Orchestre National de Lille, Orchestre National de Montpellier, Orchestre Poitou-Charentes, London Mozart Players.

Richard has had his works widely performed in Europe and USA, also at the Huddersfield Festival (GB), Wellington Festival (New-Zealand), Festival Aix-en-Provence, Présences Festival 2002, 2006 and 2007, Radio France Festival in Montpellier. He appears regularly on BBC Radio 3, Radio France and Swiss Radio. His works have been performed at the Royal Festival Hall, Wigmore Hall, Purcell Room, St John's, Smith Square (London) and Théâtre du Châtelet, Théâtre des Champs-Elysées and Salle Pleyel (Paris).

His Naxos CD of chamber music received excellent reviews from the British, French and Swiss press. His complete cycle for orchestra Arcanes Symphoniques is in project to be released late 2008 by Universal.

He has received commissions from Kurt Masur, Radio France, Musique nouvelle en liberté (France) the Stilgoe Saturday Concerts, the SPNM (U.K.) and the Long-Thibaud International Piano Competition. His organ concerto was the compulsory piece for the final of the City of Paris International Organ Competition in September 2007.

Richard is also a double bass virtuoso and has performed in many recitals in the USA Europe and Russia. He wrote his own concerto for double bass  which he premièred in St John's Smith Sq (London) with conductor Ed Gardner, before giving its French première in Radio France with the Birmingham Contemporary Music Group under Peter Rundel. His chamber music partners have included Michel Portal, Xavier Phillips, David Grimal, Jérôme Pernoo. He often performs with the Paris Opera Orchestra as an extra.

He has been involved with many educational projects in the U.K. and France and also has eight years experience of teaching composition, in places such as the Royal Academy of Music and the Purcell School.