At 7 my father brought me to a music shop, asking me to choose an instrument. I looked around, slightly overwhelmed. Then I pointed to a picture of Jimi Hendrix on the wall.
“I want this”, I said.
Did I mean the electric guitar, the stage he was on, or something else? Whatever it was, finding myself with a classical guitar in hand was not what I had in mind!
After a few years of Classical then Jazz lessons at the local Conservatoire, I quit to play the electric guitar. I tried to find my way through playing in Metal bands, almost getting to professional level at 21… Until I decided to stop playing guitar altogether.
At this point my search led me elsewhere, from Musicology studies and medieval choirs in the South of France, to Sociology and Opera singing in Paris.
But in 2015, as I was singing in an ensemble alongside classical guitarists, the instrument called out to me. I picked it up again, and that’s when I realised what drew me to that picture of Jimi Hendrix all those years before : the joy of that he was so obviously having.
Knowing I had finally found my true calling, I dropped everything else to dedicate myself solely to the classical guitar, and never looked back.
When you come to my concerts, this is what you will find : a musical journey that I hope will resonate with you and transport you. But at the heart of it, there is just the simple pleasure of enjoying good music together.
Allan Neave, Matthew McAllister, David Russell, Thomas Viloteau, Paul Galbraith, Sean Shibe, Benjamin Valette…
This is a voyage through the landscapes of the Classical Guitar repertoire. But also a reflection about life in the span of day… or an hour. Take a seat, and let yourself be carried away.
