PORTRAIT - The founders
Julian Cuvilliez and Audrey Lecorgne are the founders of Lyre Academy. For 20 years, these two enthusiasts have been working towards the democratization of this ancient instrument and have deeply invested themselves in the fields of Science, Craftsmanship, Art, and Transmission. In order to provide you with a better understanding of the foundations of Lyre Academy, we will present you with an overview of the various actions carried out by its founders each year.
SCIENCE
Julian Cuvilliez and Audrey Lecorgne are researchers in archaeomusicology and founders of the Research, Interpretation, and Experimental Archaeology Center. Each year, in collaboration with numerous museum institutions such as the National Museum of Cologne in Germany or the Cairo Museum in Egypt, Julian and Audrey lead several scientific missions dedicated to the study, digital inventory, and enhancement of the musical and sound heritage of Antiquity and the Middle Ages.
In 2018, our two founders notably led the digitization mission of the Bard with Lyre Bust (-100 BC) at the Regional Archaeology Service of Brittany, thus bringing into the digital world and shedding new light on the most significant representation of lyre produced by the Celtic civilization discovered to date.
In 2020, Julian and Audrey directed the LEIA – Lyre Experience Innovative Acoustics mission, which over four years brought together nearly 40 project stakeholders from France, Belgium, England, and Germany to study and reconstruct, through experimental archaeology, the Merovingian lyre bridge of Concevreux and the Merovingian Lyre of Cologne. Their work notably led to the renewal of the permanent exhibition at the National Museum of Cologne with a reconstruction of the lyre and bridge, as well as the creation of a digital mediation module allowing the general public to play with the very first interactive medieval lyre.
As lecturers, Julian and Audrey regularly speak at universities, research institutions, or museums to keep the public informed about the progress of their work (National Archaeology Museum of Saint-Germain-en-Laye, Constance Museum, Saint-Romain-en-Gal Museum, Royal Museum of Mariemont, University of Montpellier III, European Technological Institute of Music Professions, etc.).
To allow everyone to benefit from the results of their work and to promote those of their colleagues, Julian and Audrey have created the PAN Portal, which inventories 3D documents and virtual environments related to ancient and medieval musical practice.
CRAFTSMANSHIP
Julian Cuvilliez and Audrey Lecorgne are luthiers, specialists in experimental archaeology. The Skald Workshop produces instruments on demand every year for artists worldwide, as well as for permanent museum exhibitions such as the National Museum of Cologne in Germany or Breizh Odyssée in Brittany. For over 20 years, Julian and Audrey have been among the few professionals specializing exclusively in the production of lyres from Antiquity and the Middle Ages.
Their working approach offers a wide range of different operational sequences, allowing them to fulfill orders for instrument reconstructions using an experimental archaeology protocol involving the use of reconstructed tools that they forge themselves. In another direction, their workshop, with the support of the laboratory of the European Technological Institute of Music Professions, develops next-generation instruments using innovative composite materials based on algae, hemp, and flax, thus offering musicians high-quality instruments manufactured under more environmentally friendly conditions.
As trainers, Julian and Audrey are committed to training the next generation, welcoming around ten interns, apprentices, and preparatory class students for the Gobelins School or the École Boule every year. They regularly conduct master classes to pass on their know-how, both in their workshop and at the International Center for Medieval Music in connection with the University Paul Valéry Montpellier III.
Their workshop is notably responsible for producing instruments commissioned by the Brittany region for the opening of the first lyre classes in conservatories. They are also behind the production of the first park of Gallic lyres for rental and the first DIY kits, which have greatly contributed to popularizing the practice of this instrument, meeting the challenge of offering lyres at affordable prices while maintaining the quality and ethics of MADE IN FRANCE craftsmanship.
MUSIC - ART
Julian and Audrey are composers and performers. They are the founders of Ar Bard Production and have created numerous artistic projects, giving the lyre a prominent place in the contemporary music scene, alongside iconic figures of World Music such as Alan Stivell, Carlos Nunez, John Kenny, and many others. They have performed at the Festival Interceltique de Lorient (FR), the Wacken Open Air Festival (DE), the Motocultor Open Air (BZH), on the roof of the Mamelouk Palace facing the Pyramids of Giza in Egypt, and at the Elecktra Hall in Baku for the opening concert of the 2019 World Judo Championships in Azerbaijan.
Julian and Audrey lead several international ensembles. In 2019, at the request of the Royal Museum of Mariemont, the couple formed the ensemble “The Dragon and the Dove,” bringing together musicians from the Royal Academy of London and singers from the University of Montpellier III for an artistic project aimed at illustrating the Merovingian period as part of the exhibition “The World of Clovis.”
In 2023, the Stéphan Berne Foundation entrusted the couple with the composition of a special piece dedicated to the theme of Gallo-Roman music and the pan-Celtic god Lugos-Mercury. To offer the public a unique experience blending millennial sounds with contemporary music, Julian and Audrey created a new ensemble called “Antika Arkana,” bringing together musicians from the National Conservatory of Scotland, Israeli soloist Adaya Peled, and part of Bjork’s team for this occasion.
Julian and Audrey have also distinguished themselves in the field of film score composition, including “Le Pacte Gaulois,” which was awarded at the Screen Power Film Festival in London, at the Cannes Film Festival in France, and at the Archaeological Film Festival in Amiens. Their work has also been recognized in Los Angeles, where they received a Best Music Award from the Archaeology Channel.
THE STORY OF LYRE ACADEMY
In 2014, building on the previous work conducted by their colleagues, Julian and Audrey, along with their PRIAE team, finalized the first research program dedicated to the study and reconstruction of the Celtic lyre depicted on the ancient bust of the lyre bard. The Brittany region commended the work of the two researchers and announced the opening of the first dedicated lyre classes in a conservatory, entrusting Julian and Audrey with this responsibility. Subsequently, the two luthiers produced the first set of lyres, thus facilitating the revival of the ancient Celtic lyre on administrative and educational levels.
Alongside their research and instrument production at the luthier’s workshop, Julian and Audrey taught lyre practice for three years within the traditional department of a conservatory in central Brittany. During this time, they developed an original pedagogy and a unique tablature system entirely dedicated to the lyre, enabling many students to progress rapidly. Concerned with making this tablature system accessible to all lyres, Julian and Audrey developed an adaptive tuning method that allows everyone to play the tablatures with their instrument and learn at their own pace.
Each year, the Lyre Academy organizes conferences and presentations conducted by prominent specialists to keep its members informed about the latest research developments related to the lyre. Additionally, it spearheads various valorization projects, such as the Lyrids Challenge, which offers a free program of artistic support, composition assistance, clip creation, valorization, etc.
Support for the Artistic and Scientific Community
“The Lyre Academy is proud to count on the support of the artistic and scientific community in the implementation of its various projects.”
“In order to bring the ‘World of Clovis’ back to life, the Royal Museum of Mariemont partnered with the Skald Workshop, which, with its expertise, offered the public a unique sensory experience. Through the sound of various instruments, including a lyre reconstructed for the occasion based on archaeological evidence, the musicians transported the listeners into another realm, that of an early Christian Middle Ages still imbued with pagan survivals. The Museum and its visitors rejoiced in this beautiful partnership which gave rise to an original composition titled ‘The Dragon & The Dove’!”
Richard VEYMIERS
Director of the Royal Museum of Mariemont
We can only rejoice in the methods of valorization employed in the work and research carried out by the luthiers of Atelier Skald; on one hand, the publication intended primarily for their colleagues and researchers, on the other hand, the conferences and exhibitions offered to the general public.
Gisèle CLÉMENT
Dr. Musicology - Researcher-Teacher at Paul-Valery University Montpellier III
“I would like to acknowledge all the work that has been done upstream, allowing you to present the palette and especially the method and means that archaeology offers in relation to research on ancient musical instruments.”
Hilaire MULTON
Director of the National Museum of Archaeology in Saint Germain en Laye
In the years following its discovery in 1988, the bust of a Gaulish figure holding a lyre found at the site of Paule quickly became the subject of study by musicologists such as Christophe Vendries or Tinaïg de Clodoré Tissot. A new generation of researchers seized upon it in the field of experimental archaeology, such as the luthiers of the Atelier Skald, who have been heavily involved in this approach to study, mediation, and valorization. Attempting to revive these very ancient instruments will help to better understand how they may have been made and the purpose for which they were intended.
Yves MENEZ
Conservator of the Regional Archaeology Service of Brittany
A PROJECT GENERATOR
Every year, the Lyre Academy offers different themes to its classes revolving around values related to sharing, transmission, and regional languages. Each class is accompanied by a dedicated godmother or godfather linked to the theme of the year and presents a performance or presentation at the end of the cycle. Yann Fanch Kemener, Marcel Guilloux, Anne Auffret have sponsored previous classes and/or projects initiated by the Lyre Academy, such as the “Breizh Lyre Project” which introduced the lyre to nearly 800 children in schools in Kreiz Breizh or the “kan ar Gwriziou” focusing on singing and the Breton language.
The Lyre Academy is a family-oriented and personable structure that offers enthusiasts from around the world, young and old, experts and beginners, the opportunity to learn the practice of ancient and medieval lyres, as well as an introduction to their extensive universe.
The team at the Lyre Academy warmly welcomes you all.
This post is also available in: French
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