He was born in Zürich in Switzerland. He was a pupil of Andrè Jaunet, and later at the Paris Conservatoire, where he won first prize with Marcel Moyse and Roger Cortot. Besides playing the flute both in orchestras and as a soloist, he is a conductor, and spent several years exclusively as an orchestra and opera conductor. He is also a teacher, and has taught at the Basel Music Academy since 1973.