Renée Geoffrion, born in Montreal, began playing the piano at the age of four. After studies at the Conservatoire
de Montréal, she went to France where, in the years 1985-1987, she pursued lessons in interpretation, as well as
training in piano tuning.
Following her return to Canada, she obtained a Bachelor's degree in piano interpretation with high distinction from McGill
University in 1991 and a master's degree from the University of Montreal in 1993.
Returning to France, she studied fortepiano and clavichord with Patrick Cohen at the Conservatoire Supérieur de Paris
(CNR) until 1998.
Since 1992, when she completed a study on the traces of temperaments in Mozart's music for fortepiano, Renée Geoffrion
has developed a passion for early keyboard instruments. Her enterprise « Una Corda », based in the Limousin
region since 1998 at the invitation of « L'Ensemble Baroque de Limoges », restores and builds pianos,
fortepianos and clavichords.
Renée Geoffrion devotes herself to the promotion of the clavichord. She is active as a builder, restorer and as a
performer, as a soloist on clavichord, forms the duo « Alliance Contre Nature » with Louis-Philippe Rivet at the
electric bass and plays four-hands with Guy Campion. In April 2002, she registered her invention, the electro-acoustic
clavichord and was granted a patent in July 2004.
Louis-Philippe Rivet, born in 1965, at Montreal, Canada, begins his musical studies at the age of 6 studying classical
guitar and piano.
In 1988, after studies in jazz improvisation and arranging (Art Roberts), electric bass (Michel Donato), and classical
piano (Ronald Headland), he studies composition with Benght Hambræus and Bruce Mather at McGill University, where he
receives his Bachelor degree in composition, in 1992.
In the same year, he wins second prize of the Pierre Mercure awards, in the Socan competition for young composers of
Canada. In 1996-97, he studies composition and conducting with Brian Ferneyhough and Harvey Sollberger at the University
of California (San Diego). The University grants him the « Gluck Scholarship Award ».
Parallel to composition, he studies conducting at the « Musikhochschule » in Vienna (1994), at the «
Fondationne Academia Musicale Chiggianna » in Siena (1997), with the « I Pomeriggi Musicali Orchestra » in
Milan (1997), and with the conductor Francis Travis, in Vevey (1997-1998). Since 1999, Louis-Philippe Rivet is established
in France and collaborates with Renée Geoffrion in the conception of the electro-acoustic clavichord, its repertoire
and pedagogical implementation. He is also active teaching music and performing in the duo « Alliance Contre Nature
».
