The duo
Marie Sans and Alice Letort first met in 2018 while studying in the Hochschule für Musik in Basel, Switzerland. Originating from Aix-en-Provence and Nantes in France, they decided to study in Switzerland alongside the guitarist Pablo Márquez. There, as part of their first Master’s degree, they were introduced to the romantic guitar by Peter Croton.
Having fallen under the spell of this 19th century instrument and driven by the same passion for chamber music, they explored the duo repertoire together and began to perform in concert. They received valuable advice from Tobias Schabenberger, professor of pianoforte in Basel. Since 2020, the duo has been playing guitars by François Roudhloff, a luthier from the Mirecourt school, probably dating from 1825 and 1827.
The audience discovers a rare, delicate, and deep sound in a program that highlights 19th century music, a time when the guitar was very popular in the salons of Paris, Vienna and London. Through their transcriptions, Marie and Alice also explore a repertoire from the baroque period.
They choose a variety of works, sometimes light, sometimes dreamy, sparkling, or theatrical for music lovers as well as for the wider public. The guitars’ multiple sound colours are revealed in the dialogue and the artistic complicity between the two musicians.
The Duo Odelia regularly performs in France and Switzerland, particularly at festivals such as the Festival Les Fieffés Musiciens, the Festival International de Guitare de Lambesc, the Grand Est'ival de Guitare de Strasbourg, the Rencontres Guitare et Patrimoine en Ardennes, the Festival de Guitare de Puy-l'Evêque, the Académie Internationale de Musique en Ariège, etc. Marie and Alice also offer private concerts, more intimate events, in the spirit of 19th century salon concerts. In 2022, Marie and Alice published two collections of their transcriptions with l’Empreinte Mélodique and recorded their first album.
The Musicians
Marie Sans
Born into a family of artists, Marie Sans began learning the guitar with her father in the south of France. She successfully obtained her Diplôme d'Études Musicales in the classes of Arnaud Sans and Laurent Blanquart.
At the age of 16, she was admitted to the Hochschule für Musik Basel in Switzerland with Pablo Márquez where she obtained both a Bachelor’s and a Master’s degree.
Having discovered orchestral conducting under the guidance of Rodolfo Fischer, Marie Sans joined the Musikhochschule of Lucerne in Switzerland at the age of 21, where she obtained a Master’s degree in Orchestral Conducting. She continued her instrumental training during masterclasses with Alex Garrobé, Judicaël Perroy, Rémi Jousselme, Roberto Aussel, Scott Tenant etc.
Being the recipient of several international prizes (José Tomas Petrer Juvenil - Spain, Carry le Rouet - France, Trossingen Jung - Germany), Marie Sans has developed several concert styles: as a soloist, as a romantic guitar duo, as a quartet (Quatuor Tacet), but also by inventing a new event concept: the Bouchées Musicales. This project allows her to combine in one single evening her two passions: music and cooking, by proposing a connection between these two complementary worlds.
Alice Letort
Alice Letort began playing guitar with her father, Yves Letort, before joining Michel Grizard’s class at the Conservatoire de Nantes in France. She studied there for eight years and then continued her undergraduate studies with Judicaël Perroy at the École Supérieure Musique et Danse de Lille. Afterwards, she studied for two years with Pablo Márquez at the Hochschule für Musik Basel in Switzerland where she obtained a Master’s degree in interpretation in 2020. Passionate about early music, she also obtained a Master’s degree in lute and early guitars from the Schola Cantorum Basiliensis in 2022.
Numerous masterclasses punctuated her career, providing her a window into diverse artistic visions, with musicians such as Marcin Dylla, Alvaro Pierri, Odair Assad, Hopkinson Smith, Christelle Séry, Rémi Jousselme, etc.
Alice Letort performs regularly in concert, either as a soloist, in a romantic guitar duo, in a lute quartet (Casulana Lute Consort), in a duo with flute (Duo Schneider-Letort), or as a continuo player on the theorbo in various ensembles. Through her projects she meets various audiences: namely, she has created a show for young audiences with the clarinettist Thomas Rollot, introduced the classical guitar to teenagers in child psychiatry, and played in a puppet show with the Cachiporra company.