Regarded as one of the most accomplished French musicians of his generation, cellist. Michel Strauss studied in France and the United States with Jean Brizard, Paul Tortelier, Maurice Gendron, and Aldo Parisot. From 1987 to 2024, he was cello teacher at the Paris Conservatoire National Supérieur, where he trained a significant generation of musicians and organized numerous events and master classes aimed at promoting young performers.
From 1980 to 1990, he was the principal cellist of the New Radio France Philharmonic Orchestra and performed with numerous orchestras in France and abroad. Several concertos were dedicated to him. He has collaborated with many artists in the field of chamber music, including Henriette Puig-Roget, Tibor Varga, Gérard Jarry, Serge Collot, Jean Claude Vanden Eynden, Jean-Claude Pennetier, Ivry Gitlis, Maria Belooussova, and Sándor Vegh.
In recent years, Strauss’s presence in Asian cultural life has grown considerably. He currently teaches at the Central Conservatory of Beijing in addition to his position at the Royal Conservatory of The Hague.
He is the founder and artistic director of the Musique en bord de Seine festival, formerly known as Musique de Chambre en Normandie.