Quartet and quintet

Laurène ALBERT , Dance
Jérôme SIMONPOLI , Oboe / French Horn
Emmanuel FERRAN , Clarinet / Bass Clarinet
Christophe GEILLER , Violin / viola
Benoît ALBERT , Guitar

As a solo guitarist, chamber musician and composer, French guitarist Benoît Albert is a unique and versatile presence in the world of classical guitar.

Benoît Albert grew up in Charente, in a Southwest region of France. As a very young man he was inspired by pop, progressive rock and classical music. Later, at the age of 14, he decided to study classical guitar. He acquired his formal education at the Conservatoire de Bordeaux and the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique et de Danse de Paris, where he graduated with top honors. His teachers were Olivier Chassain and Carel Harms for the guitar, Pierre-Laurent Aimard, Christophe Coin, Christian Ivaldi, Jean-Guilhem Queyras and Laszlo Hadady for the chamber music, Frederic Durieux for musical analysis and Patrice De Faccio for the musical style studies and writing.

As a performer, Albert has toured Europe, Venezuela, the US, and Malaysia.

He has co-created productions involving modern dance (Laurène Albert, PM4 project), paintings (Paul Storey and Pierre Cambon), and chamber music (Les Frères Méduses, La Compagnie des Arts and Suonatori).

His solo concerts are crafted around historical guitars illustrating musical periods and styles : his « Guitar Triptych » project features a Stauffer romantic guitar from 1827, an american parlor Martin guitar from 1905 and a modern classical guitar built by Erik-Pierre Hofmann in 2013.

As a composer, Albert describes his musical language as modal with a broad rhythmical spectrum reflecting popular music influences from Eastern Europe and North/South America as well as French impressionistic music and electronic music. He began writing music for his ensemble « La Compagnie des Arts » in 2003 and continues to do so even today. His works include composition for solo instruments like english horn, violin, bass clarinet or guitar and for various chamber music ensembles with guitar. He also likes to create electronic music manipulating sound samples.

Violinist and violist rewarded with several prizes and gold medals, Christophe Geiller specialized in the study of violin and viola Baroque at the CNR of Toulouse.

However, he expresses his talents as an improviser in groups with varied musical influences: Big-Band "Caléïdophone", jazz duo "Candelys", music from Ireland "Busker & Keaton", contemporary music festival "Musica" Strasbourg (1997) under the direction of composer G. Aperghis.

He decided to lead his alto solo position at the Orchester de Pau-Pays de Béarn and his passion, arrangements and musical composition within "La Compagnie des Arts".

He is a graduate both of the National Music Academy in Limoges (Gold medal in oboe and chamber music) as well as the National Academy of Dance and Music, Paris, (first prize in oboe in 1984 under P .PIERLOT).

In 1991, he was principal oboist with the Capetown Symphony Orchestra (South Africa)

Since 1993, he is principal oboist with the Bordeaux National Orchestra .

In 1995, he came back to his roots to teach Oboe at the National School of Dance and Music School in Agen.

Studying with C. POUYANNE, in Agen, Emmanuel FERRAN proved his desire to follow a career in music.

He gained his diploma in Music Studies at the Agen National Music Academy in 1995.

Then at the Bordeaux National Music Academy he received the gold medal in clarinet and chamber music, studying with R. Rimbert.

In 1996, he took part in the International Academy Pablo Casals, Prado, working with Y. DIDIER and M. LETHEC .

Alongside C. POUYANNE, he teaches at the Agen National School of Music and Dance and in Villeneuve sur Lot .