Monodies and polyphonies of Occitania

Emmanuel Pesnot, the son of a music-loving pastor and a piano teacher, rediscovered polyphony, especially Renaissance and Baroque music, after a career in radio. A graduate of the Tours Conservatory with training in choral conducting, he has sung with and directed ensembles performing everything from Bach’s motets to the multi-voice pieces of Debussy and Ravel. Emmanuel has a real passion for folk music passed down through oral tradition and has studied it with numerous masters. To bring this music to the stage, he started the Mundovox ensemble and the Brigade d’Intervention Vokale in Nantes. He is particularly drawn to Italian folk songs, Occitan music and the intricate harmonies of Sardinian, Georgian and Albanian polyphony. Today, Emmanuel spends his time mentoring polyphonic ensembles to share this rich musical heritage. He also gives talks on subjects close to his heart, like traditional music, the history of polyphony, the relationship between sound and meaning, and how language and culture intertwine.