Bastien David
Composer

Bastien David is a composer fascinated by the diversity of the living world. Through his music, he explores the life forms of sound. The sensitive relationships between sounds and their ability to move in time and space form the basis of his inspiration. Invited by the Bavarian State Ministry for Science and the Arts, Bastien will compose at Villa Concordia the continuation of a major cycle begun in 2020 with "Urban Song". This new work, commissioned for the opening of the Festival Présences 2023, will combine the soloists of the Ensemble Intercontemporain, the Radio France Maîtrise and the timbre of the Métallophone under the direction of Tito Ceccherini.
A resident at Villa Médicis and winner of the Prix Hervé Dugardin, Bastien is Ensemble 2e2m's artist-in-residence for the 2022-23 season. He studied composition with Bernard Cavanna and José Manuel Lopez Lopez at the Conservatoire de Gennevilliers, then with Gérard Pesson at the CNSMDP.
Her music, published by Éditions Henry Lemoine, has been performed by ensembles and orchestras such as Ensemble Intercontemporain, Orchestre Geneva Camerata, Orchestre d'Auvergne, TM+, L'Instant Donné, Court-circuit, Aleph, 2e2m, La main harmonique, KDM, EOC, Zafraan-ensemble, XAMP. She has performed internationally, most recently at the Festival du Printemps des Arts de Monte-Carlo for the premiere of "L'ombre d'un doute", her concerto for two cellos and string orchestra. The compositions of "Phaidra" for actress Fanny Ardant and "Bec et Ongles" for violinist Renaud Capuçon, were outstanding for the intense experience these encounters evoked.


Les Insectes
Compagnie

Founded in 2020, the Les Insectes company is dedicated to creating a repertoire of new works custom-made for the Métallophone, a percussion instrument tuned to the twelfth tone, imagined by composer Bastien David. It offers a space for reflection and exchange between performers and a composer, with the shared aim of taming the instrument over time. To understand, over time, the colors of microtonal harmony and the density of the instrument's sound; to explore its changing timbres according to the registers used and new playing techniques. Its fifteen-meter keyboard requires the simultaneous playing of several percussionists. The aim is to create a world of sound for several players. The company is made up of nine percussionists: Diane Versace, Aurélien Gignoux, Lou Renaud-Bailly, François Vallet, Lucie Delmas, Morgan Laplace Mermoud, Elisa Humanes, Arthur Bechet and Maxime Echardour.


Arthur Bechet
Percussionist

An inquisitive and passionate percussionist, Arthur Bechet holds a Bachelor's degree in Percussion from the CNSMD in Paris, where he is currently completing his Master's in Gilles Durot's class. Captivated by musical creation from the outset, Arthur has participated in numerous projects with the young composers he meets during his studies. A chamber musician, he won first prize in a duo with Hortense Airault at the VioloncellenSeine competition, and took part in the show "Le Carnaval des Animaux Préhistoriques" with the Centre de Musique de Chambre de Paris in 2021. Attracted by atypical and innovative formations, he co-founded the Quintet Méliphage in 2021 and regularly plays in duo with trombonist Félix Bacik.
At the same time, Arthur is deepening and perfecting his skills as an orchestral musician. He is regularly called upon as an extra in national orchestras such as the Orchestre de l'Opéra de Paris, the Orchestre National de France, the Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France and the Orchestre national des Pays-de-la-Loire. He also took part in the 2021 session of the Orchestre Français des Jeunes, as well as the first edition of the Orchestre des Jeunes Rameau the same year. Arthur has been accepted for the first semester of the 2022-2023 academic year as an Erasmus exchange student at the UdK in Berlin, where he developed his orchestral practice and elaborated his final Master's recital project.

Lucie Delmas
Percussionist

A multi-disciplinary artist, Lucie Delmas holds a Diplôme d'État in contemporary dance (RIDC Paris) and a Master's degree in percussion (CNSMD Lyon), opening the doors to a wide range of choreographic and musical training. From early music (H.C. Caget, P. Hamon) to contemporary creation (F. Krawczyk, O. Mellano, Ensemble C Barré), via tap dance (E. Scialo, F. Martin), contemporary music (C. Diterzi, M. Malan) and body percussion (L. Petronio, R. Leclerc), Lucie is also involved in orchestras (Lyon, Limoges) and theater (J. Boillot, S. Nordey). Today, she is a performer in numerous ensembles (Percussions Claviers de Lyon, Mécanique Vivante, Soléo, Cie La Machine, Imbert Imbert, Lune et Lautre, MégaJawooka), and in 2023 will be creating the children's show "Maïti Chamboultou" (with N. Lainville Richardson and F. Baliteau).


Maxime Echardour
Percussionist

Maxime Echardour graduated from the percussion, zarb and piano classes at the CNR de Rueil-Malmaison, where he was introduced to traditional and contemporary practices by Gaston Sylvestre. He went on to study with Jean Geoffroy at the CNSMD in Lyon, then at the Amsterdam Conservatory. A member of L'Instant Donné since 2003, he has deepened his knowledge of the contemporary repertoire with this ensemble, and has taken part in numerous premieres (Gérard Pesson, Frédéric Pattar, Stefano Gervasoni...). He is also involved in various ensembles: with the Khaps ensemble, a quartet bringing together musicians from Africa, Japan and France, he tackles traditional music and performs on all three continents. His attraction to Mandingo music led him to take balafon lessons with a griot in Senegal. Other projects have led him to take part in programs with KammerKonzert Holland, Opéra de Lyon, EOC, Ensemble Hostel Dieu, Ensemble Alma Viva, Ensemble InterContemporain and the acousmatic collective Motus. From 2001 to 2011, he and the Trio de Bubar, a group of 3 percussionists, conducted research into original forms of musical expression. Since 2015, he has performed in Laurent Dupont's shows "L'avoir", "A vos saveurs" and "l'autre de Moi" in France, Germany, Austria, Holland, Canada, Brazil...


Aurélien Gignoux
Percussionist

An eclectic and committed musician, Aurélien Gignoux's clear playing creates a space for new sound materials. Drawn to percussion and its many facets from an early age, he also explores piano and drums, weaving a powerful link between the classical repertoire and the world of improvisation. As he continued his studies at the Conservatoire Supérieur de Paris, his desire to develop the music of today became obvious, leading him to work with numerous composers such as Jean-Pierre Drouet, Philippe Hurel, Martin Matalon, Yan Maresz, Bastien David... In 2019, he will join the Trio K/D/M, renowned for its creative force. Awarded a prize at the prestigious ARD international competition in Munich, he has been invited to perform as soloist with the Bavarian Radio Orchestra, the Osnabrück Symphony Orchestra, the Orchestre de l'Opéra de Toulon and the Orchestre National du Capitole de Toulouse. In 2021, he was awarded the Victoire de la Musique Classique in the "Revelation Instrumental Soloist" category, and became soloist with the Ensemble Intercontemporain.


Morgan Laplace Mermoud
Percussionist

Open-minded and passionate, Morgan Laplace Mermoud is always on the lookout for new sounds. His curiosity has led him to take part in numerous solo and chamber music creation and recording projects, and to collaborate with various contemporary ensembles. Notably a member of the Le Printans ensemble, founded by accordionist Vincent Gailly, he is also involved in early and traditional music repertoires.
Also a passionate orchestral player, he performs regularly with Parisian and national ensembles. A native of the Lot-et-Garonne region, Morgan trained at the Agen and Bordeaux Conservatories, before going on to perfect his skills in Paris and Montrouge, and finally at the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique et de Danse in Paris.

Lou Renaud Bailly
Percussionist

A polymorphous musician, Lou Renaud Bailly navigates between live performance creation, electroacoustic composition, and performance at the crossroads of genres. After studying at the CNSMD in Lyon, her first show, "Chroniques Cosmiques", premiered in 2019. The second opus, entitled "Lubulus et Alaïs", a duo with flutist and singer Clémence Niclas, has been touring since 2021 in partnership with JMFrance. She forms the experimental music trio, Assiiiis !¡ MÉTRIQUE, alongside Théo His-Mahier and Martin Malatray-Ravit. The trio improvise a resolutely free-spirited sonic universe somewhere between charivaric rock and raw sound synthesis.
Lou is also involved in a wide range of collaborations with composers. She is currently developing a triptych for "Passerelle microtonale" in partnership with composer Maxime Mantovani and Le Triton. She plays with the companies Plexus Polaire, Je Garde le Chien, TaCTuS, Murailles Music, Ensemble 0, Epidemic... Lou is a soloist with Percussions de Strasbourg and a member of the Djeravica quartet.