Choc & Fusion

“a musical journey of classical violin with African percussion, a new musical language around original creations.”

The show - a unique musical encounter 

A musical journey between classical violin, African percussion, and J.S. BACH solo violin repertoire.

The "Choc and Fusion" concert is a unique musical encounter that links two opposed musical universes.

It's the result of a dialogue between musical cultures from the West and Africa, two very different conceptions (Virginie Robilliard's classical violin and Thomas Guei's African percussion) requiring a specific approach and interpretation, but which come together unexpectedly and irresistibly to the delight of audiences, whether classical or world music fans.

The program includes works by Bach for solo violin, accompanied by the djembe rhythms as a basso continuo, improvisations, and compositions by the two artists.

Friendship and complicity of two performers at the peak of their art

"Choc et Fusion" embodies the friendship and complicity of two performers at the peak of their art. Their respective artistic universes merge happily and enthusiastically, blending the voluptuous sounds of the violin with the fiery tones of African percussion.

This musical journey takes us from Bach to the songs of the Malinké people, via Ireland and Italy. Many surprises, such as the bewitching "Soleil Ardent", await us throughout the show.

A musical challenge

Virginie Robilliard and Thomas Guei take up a real musical challenge by creating a symbiosis between improvisation, the music of Bach emanating from a written culture, and African rhythms from a culture where orality predominates.

These two extraordinary artists, with their infectious enthusiasm, amaze us with their talent and creativity. Acclaimed in London, Barcelona, and Paris, Choc et Fusion has also been successfully presented by the Alliances françaises and Instituts français in Kenya, Rwanda, Peru, and Gabon.

The Artists

Virginie Robilliard is the brilliant winner of the Long-Thibaud International Competition at the age of 17, as well as the Indianapolis Competition, and a graduate of the Juilliard School, where she studied with the famous Dorothy Delay.

Virginie made her debut at 19 at New York's Avery Fisher Hall. Since then, she has pursued a career as an international soloist, playing with the St Petersburg Philharmonic, the Radio France Philharmonic, the Bogota Philharmonic, the Orchestre National de Lyon, the Capitole de Toulouse, and the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra, under the baton of Yuri Temirkanov, Raymond Leppard, Yukata Sado, FrançoisXavier Roth, Emmanuel Krivine and Fabio Mechetti, among others.

Passionate about world music and improvisation, Virginie Robilliard also gives pride of place to works by living composers such as Paul Desenne, who composed sonatas for solo violin and a concerto for violin and chamber orchestra for her.

She has just recorded an album with her brother, Bruno Robilliard, entitled "De Baudelaire à Proust," a collection of French sonatas for violin and piano.

Virginie teaches at the Haute Ecole de Musique de Lausanne and iClassical Academy. Virginie Robilliard plays on a splendid Jean-Baptiste Vuillaume from 1869.

Thomas Guei was born into a family of traditional musicians and dancers. At the age of 7, he joined EDEC, one of the best art schools in Côte d'Ivoire.

Now based in France, he works with choreographers such as Georges Momboye on the shows "Clair de Lune," "Boyakodah," "Tahama," "Empreinte Masaï" and Merlin Nyakam for the album Native.

Thomas' immense talent also enables him to play with jazz musicians such as Stéphane Huchard, Sylvain Bœuf, and Stéphane Belmondo.

In 2006, he founded the "Sounan" collective, a tribute to his Ivorian percussionist fathers. His album "Guelassemou," which means "God doesn't sleep," is inspired by traditional West African songs.

Thomas Gueï tours and teaches all over the world to pass on and share his passion for music. A virtuoso on the Djembe, Thomas Guei is also one of the few musicians to play the Gloé, a traditional percussion instrument that is one of the oldest in the world.

General Management

Cicerone Music & Art executes general management for this production.  Contact us for more info and bookings.