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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
