Emmanuel Bonnardot

Emmanuel Bonnardot is a versatile musician specializing in the performance of both vocal and instrumental music from the Middle Ages. As both a singer and fiddler, Bonnardot has been a core member of the Ensemble Gilles Binchois. In 1989, he co-founded the ensemble Alla Francesca along with Brigitte Lesne (voice, harp) and Pierre Hamon (winds). Alla Francesca performs repertoire ranging from eleventh century troubadour songs to fifteenth century polyphonic compositions. The ensemble often collaborates with the Center for Medieval Music in Paris, where Bonnardot and the other members of Alla Francesca teach. With Alla Francesca, Bonnardot has performed at the major European festivals of early music and has recorded for Opus 111 and Virgin Veritas. Bonnardot also directs the early music vocal ensemble Obsidienne, which performs in two different configurations: as an all-male ensemble of approximately ten singers to a larger mixed ensemble of about 15 singers.