Biography

Under the direction of vocalist Michel Bianco, Corou de Berra continues to preserve the authentic polyphonic sounds of the southernmost Alps. Singing in a variety of languages -- Nicois, Piemontais, Italian, Provincial, Gavot, and French -- the group provides a voice for the many distinct cultures of the region. A musical arm of the French cultural group Nissa Coni, Corou de Berra continues to direct global attention to the musical traditions of the French Alps. Their second album, Asa Nisi Masa, received a German music critics' award in 1995. Although their concerts have featured as many as two dozen vocalists, Corou de Berra regularly perform as an eight-piece band, featuring the polyphonic interplay of lead vocalists Bianco, Marie Foessel Scounda, Christian Francoia, and Francois Marchetti, and bass singers Clovis Dehennin and Gael Princivalle. A professional musician since 1977, Bianco studied saxophone and hurdy-gurdy in Paris. The founder of two prior bands, Bachas and Bachas Montjoia, he serves as director the Academy of Traditional Songs of the Southernmost Alps. ~ Craig Harris, Rovi