Eugene Bozza (1905-1991) was a French composer and conductor. His father was a professional violinist who gave him lessons from a young age. In 1922, he attended the Paris Conservatory for violin, where he won the Premier Prix on the instrument and won a job playing concertmaster of the Pasdeloup Orchestra. After touring with the orchestra for several years, however, Bozza decided he needed a change. He returned to the Paris Conservatory to study conducting, again winning the Premier Prix. After only one year working as a conductor at the Ballet Russes of Monte Carlo, Bozza was back at the conservatory once more, this time to study composition with Henri Büsser. 

After winning the Prix de Rome for composition, Bozza moved to Italy to further his studies. While there, he composed a number of important pieces, including his opera Leonidas. In 1938 he was invited back to Paris to become the director of the Opéra Comique, a role he held until 1948. In 1950, he was appointed the director of the École Nationale de Musique in Valenciennes. While there, he composed a number of works, including études for a variety of instruments and examination pieces for the students at the school. In 1956, he was granted a Chevalier of the Légion d’Honneur.

Bozza composed over 250 works over the course of his life. Many of these were for wind instruments, despite his beginnings as a violinist. Bozza’s music best falls under the category of neoclassicism, and has the qualities of witty eclecticism that were becoming popular in France at the time. There is also clear influence from jazz music. His music is complimented for its ability to showcase the technical and expressive capabilities of each specific instrument. Some of his most popular pieces include Image for solo flute, Nuages for saxophone quartet, and Scherzo for woodwind quartet, though he also wrote several larger scale works, including a symphony, concertos, and a requiem. Bozza died in 1991 after a prolific career. His works are still frequently enjoyed today in both academic and performance settings.

Photo credit: Jacques-Charles Derrey