François Michel studied the cello in La Rochelle before being admitted to the Paris Conservatoire (CNSMDP) to study under Maurice Gendron. After being unanimously awarded first prize, he was admitted to the advanced chamber music course with Régis Pasquier and Roland Pidoux. From 1990 to 1994, he was a cellist with the Radio France Philharmonic Orchestra.

In 2001, he joined the Orchestre de Paris, where he was appointed third principal cellist, then second principal cellist in 2003. In 2002, he performed as a soloist alongside his colleagues in the Concerto Grosso for three cellos and orchestra, accompanied by the Orchestre de Paris under the baton of Christoph Eschenbach.

A member of various chamber music ensembles, François Michel has notably taken part in a recording of Vincent d’Indy’s String Sextet alongside Emmanuel Gaugué, as well as in a recording dedicated to Brahms and Schumann, on which he collaborated with Roland Pidoux. In 2005, the string quartet of which he is a member was invited to perform at the Ravinia Festival (Chicago), where they shared the stage with Christoph Eschenbach.

François Michel is also interested in performing on period instruments. In 1998, he was unanimously awarded a diploma in early music at the Paris Regional National Conservatoire in David Simpson’s class. Since then, he has been regularly invited to perform with the Dutch pianofortist Arthur Schoonderwoerd. He has also performed Vivaldi’s Concerto for Two Cellos alongside Christophe Coin.