Benedicte Riou
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| I was born in winter 1976, in the small port called Concarneau, in Finistere, Brittany. The highpoint of my childhood was summer holidays at my grandmother's, along the Legends Coast, between Portsall and Landunvez, in Northern Finistere, in a house rocked by winds, gales and foam, in a locality called "ar guerreg" (the rocks in Breton). |  |
Flute lessons at school weren't enough for me, and then, at the age of 10, I met Pol and Hervé Quefféléant brothers, members of the band An Triskell, at one of their concerts where they accompanied The World's End Choir (Chorale du Bout du Monde), directed in those days by René Abjean,and with whom my grandmother, Janine Pichon, sang. Something clicked. So I tried, at 13, to learn the harp at the National Music Conservatoire, in Brest, but I was told that you had to begin learning the harp before the age of 8 , and I could try the saxophone as a last resort... not quite the same thing!
| It wasn't until 1992 that I discovered The Breton Popular Art Center (Centre Breton d'Art Populaire), in Brest. I learnt the celtic harp by ear, with Nolwenn Philippe, who tried to satisfy my unquenchable thirst for tunes... The following year, Anne Le Signor taught me temporarily. Her energy and her eclectic skills sparked my desire to learn Irish music. |  |
In 1994, I took part for the first time in a course given by Janet Harbison, in Amzer Nevez, a course that always precedes the "festival interceltique" of Lorient. This untireable harpist helped me discover the wealth and the joy to be fund in Irish dances. I never looked back. The following year, I again took part in this course, and this time, Katrien Delavier was the teacher. With Janet, I discovered the "swing" in Irish music, while Katrien helped me concentrate on my fingering technique, wich even now helps me play in a faster and lighter way.It is with great sadness that I learnt of her death 2 years later, just when I was begining to understand how pertinent her advice was. Calmer times followed when I was involved in my studies. It was however at this time that I took part in the Kan ar Bobl, a french competiton, with Hoëla Barbedette, in the Harpist duo. Our stagename was Gevellen (twins), and we received a special mention from the jury!
| My studies took me to Toulouse, and most particularly to a pub, the Dubliners ( a Breton doesn't change her spots), where I decided to drop in on a session. It was there that I met Jean-Michel Le Duigou, a traditional fiddler. We decided to form a duo, called Tan Red (Will-o'-the-wisp in Breton), combining Irish and Breton music in harmonic variations. This time was an intense period of musical and artistic research. |  |
Alas! Yet again I had to leave what I had started to go to Paris, where I had sworned I'd never go. It was with great reluctance that I went, but I gradually discovered that not all Parisians are Parisians, some even speak Breton, and even if they don't, they're not that bad!!! I met Frédérique Pinot, who was mostly playing medieval music at that time, with the group called Charivarythme. I began to realize there were few harpists in Paris, and they were often isolated.
So I decided to create the website Telenn Vruk, to bring harpists together, offering information on teachers, contacts, advice and scores. The site will gradually expand so as to include a collection of traditional tunes, on-line lessons, and all kind of information about the "small" world of celtic harp.
| In 2002, I joined the group Runaway, which takes part in sessions and give concerts. We wrote the music for the Irish dancing show Celtica, la légende, produced by Thierry Manconi, and we recorded a demo CD, under the name Irish Lass. |  |
In 2003, I funded the group Ree Raw with Yann Pain dit Hermier (fiddle), Jean-Marc Gloaguen (guitar and bouzouki), Baptiste Rivaud (flutes, tin whistle) and Bruno Desmouillères (bodhran, bass guitar), whose aim is to renew with a tradition of more complex arrangements, and to enrich the "session" style, where speed sometimes takes over the quality of the harmonisation. We are currently working on a CD demo, it will soon be available on the site.
In the coming months, I also intend to prduce an album (if I have the time!). Of course, I'll tell you all about it!
And lastly, I'm going to give various Irish harp courses in 2004, in particular at the Mission Bretonne, in Paris, and you can find the dates in the Agenda.
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70 rue de la porte
St-Martin 78770 Thoiry FRANCE
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01.34.94.74.57
- 06.64.97.33.55
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Translated with the help of Susie Haugh
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