About the Author

Music critic Gil French’s passion for classical music grew from his instinct to compare recordings of the same work, a habit he’s found more valuable than the studies he did getting his M.A. in Music History.

In 1978, he began writing concert reviews and in 1990 reviews of CDs (at one point over 250 per year) for newspapers. In 1994, he began reviewing recordings for American Record Guide, a bimonthly magazine that reviews over 500 CDs per issue. (The Eastman School of Music’s Sibley Library has archived ARG since 1957).

Since 2005, Gil has been the Concert Editor of ARG, the only independent magazine remaining in the USA that reviews live concerts nationwide (and internationally). For 15 years he also was a midday classical music announcer on public radio, and from 1997-2003, host and producer of RPO broadcasts. You don’t want to sit next to him at a concert; once the music starts, he can’t sit still.