François-Henri Jacques Marie Robert Houbart, born on December 26, 1952, in Orléans, France, is a notable French organist. He began studying piano at age seven and later took up the organ at eleven. In Paris, he studied under Pierre Lantier for harmony and counterpoint, and Suzanne Chaisemartin, Michel Chapuis, and Pierre Cochereau for organ and improvisation. Houbart's breakthrough came in 1978 when he won second prize at the Lyon International Improvisation Competition. He began his career as an organist at the Saint-Paterne church in Orléans in 1968. In 1979, he became the titular organist of the Madeleine church in Paris. Houbart has performed over 1,400 concerts worldwide and is recognized for his improvisational skills. His first album, Transcriptions of Liszt, was recorded in 1977 for Historical Organs series on Harmonia Mundi.
