ÒC MASSIF

Born in 1969, raised between Algeria and Marseilles, he studied piano since age 7

and learnt singing either with choirs or together with his grand mother. Discovered Occitan language and poetry aged 18, then got involved in the occitan revival movement.

In southern italy as well as in Bulgaria, Manu Theron travelled more than 4 years,

discovering traditional singing and polyphony and, most of all, getting along with

singers and choirs, learning from them listenning diciplin and musical behaviour in

a singing collective. How to keep up cultural and social practices linked to language

issues through singing, how to develop connections with dialectal oral litterature,

how to ignore official folklore institutions, that transform lively practices into museum

curiosities ? Here are a few obsessions that came out as a result of all these encounters and thoughts.

Back in Marseilles in 1995, Manu Théron then decided to dedicate his life to occitan singing and music.

In 1995 Manu starts a vocal trio called « Gacha Empega », very quicly known all around the France  for its incredibly punky vocal performances, and founds 4 years later his polyphonic ensemble « Lo Còr de la Plana », that started performing throughout Europe and a few other continents, won several prices, and discoverd the relevance of sharing this new conception of polyphonic singing with as many people as they could. Passionate and active, Manu Théron’s performances and teachings are inspired by popular mediterranean singing, and often require frame percussions together with a strongly expressive vocal presence.