French cellist and conductor Roland Pidoux died at the age of 78. In 1968, with Jean-Pierre Wallez, he founded the Ensemble Instrumental de France, later to become the Ensemble Orchestral de Paris. In 1969 he joined the Orchestre de l’Opéra de Paris, then from 1978 to 1987 the Orchestre National de France as principal cellist.

Roland Pidoux was a member of the Via Nova Quartet (1971-1978) and the Trio Pasquier (1970-1974).

In 1989, he became artistic director of the Rencontres de Violoncelle de Bélaye in the Lot region, near Cahors. Roland Pidoux taught from 1988 to 2012 at the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique de Paris, then at the École Normale de Musique Alfred Cortot.