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Christophe Erard became a choral scholar at an early age, and began his life as an instrumentalist studying the classical guitar at the age of 19. An interest in world music inspired him to take up the African bolingo, a guitar-like instrument from Zaire two years later. He has since mastered over 40 traditional instruments, including the pentatonic balafon, the diatonic balafon, and the West African cordofone. Over the past decade Erard has added various traditional vocal techniques to his repertoire, including Mongolian methods which require meticulous study. With Taffetas he brings an advanced African sensibility to the double bass. In 1995 he was awarded first prize in the Kyorugi Annual Samul Nori Competition, SÈoul. |
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