Program :

Anton Diabelli                     Grande sérénade op.95

            1 Menuetto             2 Trio             3 Menuetto

Gaspard Kummer              Sérénade op 81

            1 Allegro non tanto                                   2 Adagio non tanto

            3 Minuetto poco allegretto                    4 Rondo

Ludvig van Beethoven      Sérénade op 8 en ré maj  (1797)

            1 Marcia allegro, adagio                          2 Minuetto Allegretto

            3 Adagio                   4 Allegretto alla polacca

            5 Tema con variazioni. Andante quasi allegretto

For several decades at the dawn of the 19th century, the instrumental combination of a flute, viola and guitar inspired many musicians. The guitar, which was very much in vogue in all European capitals at the time, gave rise to an abundance of chamber music literature, of which the formula of flute, viola and guitar, at the dawn of Romanticism, was undoubtedly the most balanced and accomplished expression.

Since the second half of the 20th century, there has been a revival of interest in this chamber ensemble, which had been forgotten for some time. Perhaps remembering Debussy, who in 1915 composed a sonata for a similar group (flute, viola and harp), composers from all horizons added many new works to the repertoire of the trio: flute, viola and guitar.

After studying at the CRR in Aubervilliers-La Courneuve and the CRR in Boulogne, Séverine Joly obtained a degree in musicology from the Sorbonne. At the same time, she took part in a tour of the United States as a violinist with the La Sorbonne orchestra. With a state diploma in 2 disciplines (violin and viola), Séverine Joly joined the teaching team at the Conservatoire d’Alençon in 2005, where she now teaches. In 2010, she joined the Trio Sérénade as violist.

She has also enriched her artistic activity by taking part, on both violin and viola, in a variety of ensembles ranging from simple chamber music groups to symphony orchestras: Ensemble Cénoman in Sarthe, Ensemble Opus 61 in Alençon, Ensemble Instrumental de la Mayenne in Laval, Ensemble Offrandes based in Le Mans, etc.

Born in Le Mans in the Sarthe region of France, Nicolas Courtin trained at the CRR in Versailles, then at the CNSM on the rue de Madrid in Paris in Alexandre Lagoya’s class. As an artist, his repertoire often ventures along the side roads, from the music of the Renaissance to the creations of our time, as a soloist, in duo, trio, quartet, ensemble or with orchestra.

From 1987 to 2017: 30 years of artistic and human adventure with the Quatuor de Guitares de Versailles, of which he is a founding member. Their playground: from Washington to Casablanca, Bucharest to Dublin, Barcelona to Vilnius, Verona to Maastricht… 6 CDs of recitals or with orchestra mark this journey (Labels: De Plein Vent, Naxos, Centaur Records…). In 2004, he founded the Trio Sérénade to revive and promote the rich repertoire for flute, viola and guitar. In 2010, the year of its creation, he joined the Ensemble Offrandes, a collective dedicated to exploring and illuminating musical modernities, from Berg and Debussy to the creations of today’s composers.

His many activities make him an ardent defender of a plural guitar, rich in a wide variety of formations, styles and periods.

In 2019, he will publish Chroniques du pinceur de cordes (ed. Paulo Ramand), a book that marks a turning point in his quest for experimentation.

After studying with Jean-Christophe Falala at the CRR in Rouen, Julie Valognes continued her training by entering the class of Maxence Larrieu and Philippe Bernold at the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique in Lyon. She took part in numerous master classes with Bartold Kuyjken, Philippe Debost and Aurèle Nicolet.

Noted at orchestral competitions, she took part in the France Musique recording of Rimsky-Korsakov’s Le Coq d’or as solo piccolo. Solo flute with the Orchestre de Normandie for two seasons, she also plays regularly with the Orchestre Philharmonique de Lorraine et des Alpes et Provence Côte d’Azur.

She is particularly interested in chamber music and music of the 20th and 21st centuries. She pursues an active and committed career with the Trio sérénade (trio for flute, viola and guitar), the Ensemble Contre-Ut, and the Ensemble Offrandes, supported by the Pays de Loire region and directed by Martin Moulin.