From Earth to Heart French baroque and Eastern traditional songs Asian University Women Choir & French baroque ensemble Son Ar Mein

From Earth to Heart : a Christmas concert French baroque and Eastern traditional songs

Launching a bridge between French ancient culture and the East and South-East countries of Asia based on musical cadence opens a poetic space. Both signifies the common meaning and I believe, Asian University for Women Choir is the best ensemble to build this bridge. During that concert, we will meet Love and Hope at on the other hand Fear of Exile. All the feelings that men and women have portrayed together all over the world for centuries with the classical and traditional songs. The 35 singers of the choir, coming from 14 countries from Syria to Nagaland- India also from Afghanistan to South India, will express with the French professional ensemble Son Ar Mein. This will present the intimate feelings of Mankind.

During the concert, we will perform, 16th century French choir songs and choir pieces, like the famous « Mignonne, allons voir si la rose », the charming village songs devoted to Christmas, composed by the French musician Michel Corrette. Besides the joyful music, let’s hear melancholic songs, such as « the young girl » and « the daughter of the King Louis ».

In dialogue of this ancient and deep French music and Eastern songs from different countries of the singers of the Choir will create a fascinating echo, where we will find notably the Cambodian song « the river man », the Nagaland song « love of God », the famous Arabic music « Give me the flute », a Bengali Tagore song, and so on.

Music is a universal language. This concert will show again how this truth can be alive with 35 singers and musicians leading the audience in a musical travel all over France, Middle East and South Asia.

Musical program : Christmas Baroque and traditional songs from France, Middle East and South-East countries.

Artists :

French ensemble Son Ar mein Consort : Camille Aubret (violin), Martin Bauer (viol), Jean-Luc Tamby (luth), Stéphane Tamby, flute, Keyvan Chemirani (percussions) Asian University for Women Choir (35 singers)

Duration of the concert : 1h10 Technical rider available

French baroque ensemble Le Son Ar Mein Consort For 10 years, French ensemble Le Son ar mein Consort has been organizing an important Summer Festival and a musical season in countryside of West of France to re-unite best French musicians and to create original musical programmes. All musicians are professionnal and specialized in ancient music. During that festival, in villages and farms they offer high level performances, including : - Falvetti’s Diluvio Universale, sicilian oratorio (summer 2018) - Puer natus in Beethlem, anscient German Christmas Noëls allemands (dec. 2017) - Monterverdi’s La Selva Morale (été 2017) - La Balade d’Orphée (été 2017) - Buxtehude’s Membra Jesu Nostri (2012 and 2016)

In India, Son ar Mein Consort will notably include violin players Camille Aubret (musician in Poème Harmonique and la Tempête orchestras), Stéphane Tamby, flute player, Martin Bauer, viol player and Jean Luc Tamby, luth player, and Keyvan Chemirani, percussions player.

The artists: Asian University for Women Choir ‘Asian University for Women Choir’ (AUW, Chittagong - Bangladesh) reunites around 40 young women from 14 South-Asian, South-East and Middle-East countries : Syria, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Nepal, Bhoutan, India, Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Viet Nam, Bangladesh, Indonesia and China. Asian University for Women Choir has been working from December 2017 in partnership with Alliance française Chittagong for a musical project under the direction of Dr. Selvam Thorez and Ethan Goldbach. This project is to help young women to develop their cultural and vocal knowledges and to improve their self-confidence. It includes weekly trainings, courses and classes in vocal abilities, musical theory and history, body maping, etc., given by French professional musicians. Asian University for Women Choir is regularly invited to perform concerts by prestigious institutions : Dhaka Alliance française and Dhaka Chilpakala Academy, Chittagong Club, Caritas Bangladesh, French Embassy in Bangladesh. The 2019-2020 programm will include concerts in India, in Bangladesh and in France, notably at Paris Unesco Center and French National Parliament.