BAL ECOSSAIS - les artistes
Joanne McIver grew up on the Isle of Arran, in the south west of Scotland. She started learning the bagpipes at the age of six and played for twelve years with the local pipe band. She also learned the flute and subsequently studied classical music at Glasgow University specialising in performance and composition. After meeting Christophe Saunière in Glasgow and moving to Paris she started to write a book of bagpipe tunes about Arran, which in fact became a joint project and they finally recorded a CD together entitled "Leaving Arran". This led to many concerts in France and a tour in Scotland. Another CD of Joanne's compositions called "The Dwarfie Stone", followed in 2004, then in 2006 the third album "Glenfinnan to Glasgow". "The Three Sisters" was launched in February 2008, again entirely original material, this time composed around a story that she wrote about the Machrie standing stones on the west coast of Arran. Joanne divides her time between composing, recording, teaching and playing all over the world. Joanne pipes regularly for the British Embassy in Paris.
A most eclectic and active musician, Christophe Saunière at an early stage of his career already showed signs of what some would call artistic contradictions. Whilst playing the harp with the principal French symphonic orchestras he was also the drummer as well as bass player in various rock bands. His thirst for discovery led him to Scotland where he settled for five years and became the main harpist with the Royal Scottish National Orchestra. He rediscovered his Celtic roots and started working with bagpiper Joanne McIver, with whom he tours throughout Europe and the United States. He then returned to France and broadened his musical scope. VWorking as a studio musician for many jazz, classical and world music projects, he was hired to play the harp for the recording of an impressive list of soundtracks, including The English Patient, Titanic, Alien IV, Star Wars – Episode 1, and performed with some of the main European contemporary music groups : Klangforum Wien, EIC and Court-Circuit... Christophe's harp playing appears on 60 recordings!
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