Photo Christian Duro in 1989, shot by Gilbert Le Gall, courtesy of Dastum

"When you become a sonneur by chance, you only expect from music the pleasure of practicing it with your friends. When you receive it as an inheritance, it marks your memory. When it gives rise to unexpected – or unhoped-for – encounters, it reaffirms its existence. If I give back to it what it gives me, then it is worth sharing"
Christian Duro, lyrics for the album "Christian Duro. Sonneur fisel"

(Coop Breizh /Paotred an Dreujenn-Gaol, 1997)

Christian Duro was born in Glomel (Côtes d'Armor) in 1947 into a family of working-class musicians. His father Julien, a renowned bell ringer, as well as his uncles Pierre and Marcel, played the treujenn gaol, the clarinet (13 keys in B flat) and sang.

Arsène Cozlin and Julien Duro at the wedding, courtesy of Dastum.

Yvonne Guesdon and Catherine Duro in kan ha diskan in Rennes, Festival Tombées de la nuit, 1991. Photo Nathalie Fouilleul, with the kind permission of Dastum

His mother Catherine, daughter of Jean Baquer (renowned singer of Bonen) is a kan ha diskan singer with Yvonne Guesdon.

In 1956, thanks to André Mercier, his teacher in Glomel, very fervent about Breton culture, Christian Duro began music with the bombarde. At that time, the militant revival of Breton music highlighted the bombarde and the Scottish bagpipe to the detriment of more local practices such as the clarinet (considered "imported").

Christian played the bombarde for ten years, in a duo with his brother François. Very quickly, from 1957, they played for weddings - their father taught them the profession of bell ringer, then they were in demand at neighborhood parties, pardons, the Communist Party festival in Rostrenen, and even the Humanity festival in Paris! At 10, Christian performed "Yannig ar Vil Vicher" on the album "Fest-noz e Groñvel" (Mouez Breiz).
In 1969, he took over his father's treujenn-gaol (bought in 1929), and developed a taste for it. From that time on, he regularly played at weddings and festoù-noz, on the bombarde or clarinet, as a couple or in groups such as "Tro Blavez", "les Papillons Bleus" (Zon Budès). He was called upon in 1975 by Dominique Jouve, the driving force behind the revival of the treujenn-gaol.
Christian Duro is one of the founding members of the association "Paotred an Dreujenn gaol" (association of clarinet players of Brittany) and contributes to the success of the International Meetings of the Popular Clarinet. He was part of the group "Termajik" with Jean Le Floc'h and Guillaume Le Guern.
He also perpetuates the musical tradition in his family, alongside his wife Marie-Thérèse Le Guilcher, and his sons Gaël and Ronan Duro).

Christian Duro has developed, on the clarinet as on the bombarde, a personal style that is nevertheless characteristic of the Fisel region. His rhythmic formulas, sometimes daring, are often surprising and effective for dancing. He opens up a traditional and innovative musical perspective to young players.

Text inspired by the instructions for the album "Christian Duro. Sonneur Fisel" (Coop Breizh /Paotred an Dreujenn-Gaol, 1997).