I get the rhythms wrong, the pitches wrong, the lyrics wrong.
I make mistakes. My backing singers sometimes (often) correct me.
And that doesn't stop me from striving for perfection.
Because I believe we can aim very high,
without needing to be perfect all the time.

I work with people who are searching.
Not those who hope to be told what to do,
but those who want to understand why they do it.

People who have not learnt music “properly”.
People who have been discouraged, corrected, forgotten,
and yet they are still there.
To doubt, to dig deeper, to sing, to start again.

I am a musician who is searching.
A composer who disobeys.
A manager who works to make his management position redundant.
I'm not imposing anything, I'm rekindling something.

I put augmented seconds where one would expect tempered thirds.
I write works that are said to be inaccessible,
and I put them together with singers who end up saying:
«It's difficult, but it's so beautiful.»

I work with anyone who doesn't fit into the mould.
Not failures, no. Whole people.
Those who are searching for their place.
Those who are considered too calm or too intense.
Those who cannot read music well
but who listen with their whole body.

Those who dislike it when it's lukewarm.

If you're looking for someone to sing beautiful harmonies,
well-rounded, well-polished, playing Bach or Monteverdi,
You'll find better elsewhere.

But if you're looking for someone to wake you up,
to encourage you to take a step back,
to try something different,
so perhaps we have things to do together.

What if we do it?,
we'll never do it as planned.

Corentin

Musical journey and identity

Born in 1987, Corentin Richard lives and works in Ivry-sur-Seine, on the outskirts of Paris. A composer, choir director and author, he has been developing work focused on the voice and collective forms of musical creation for several years. His approach, nourished by listening and the search for meaning, aims to create spaces where music is experienced as both a human and artistic endeavour.

Corentin defines himself less as a teacher than as a guide. He writes on his website that he is «a composer who disobeys, a conductor who works to make his direction unnecessary». His work emphasises the autonomy of singers, physical engagement and a lively approach to choral singing.

Composition and repertoire

His catalogue includes a variety of works:

• a cappella pieces (SATB, male ensembles, duets)

• compositions for solo voice and piano

• orchestral compositions and film scores

Some of his scores are available for download on his website, such as Lullaby (based on W.H. Auden), a cappella duet for baritone and bass. His works explore contemporary tonal writing, often drawing on literary, poetic and cinematographic influences.

His compositions do not seek to impose a radical or hermetic language, but rather to place contemporary music in a sensitive continuity with tradition, while opening up new paths.

Choir director and artistic director

Corentin conducts several ensembles, each with its own identity:

• Aevum : an a cappella vocal ensemble founded in Paris in 2025, bringing together some twenty singers. Its repertoire is dedicated to tonal music of the 20th and 21st centuries, with a focus on showcasing living composers and original works. Aevum aims to be both demanding and accessible, bringing together independent, curious and kind-hearted singers.

• Cando : male vocal ensemble that mainly explores the classical repertoire, a cappella or accompanied. Cando showcases a tradition of male singing revisited with sensitivity and precision.

Through these projects, Corentin is developing a vision of choral conducting where the focus is not on the conductor's authority but on the flow of musical energy between the singers.

Community activities and production

In 2024, Corentin founded the association. The Nioches, an organisation dedicated to the development of contemporary vocal music. Its activities include:

• the production of concerts and creative works,

• the publishing of sheet music,

• phonographic production via Nioche Records,

• the organisation of educational courses and meetings.

Les Nioches want to support music that remains accessible and vibrant, outside of overly institutional circuits, by cultivating a close relationship with the public.

Author and educator

In 2024, his book will be published. From chorister to choir, designed as a practical and sensitive guide for singers. The book offers a clear progression, combining vocal warm-ups, body awareness, breathing, improvisation, group work and interpretation. Far from being a rigid method, the book offers concrete tips to help choristers gain confidence and find their place within an ensemble.

At the same time, Corentin regularly posts on his blog. Choir notebook, where he addresses topics related to choral practice:

• managing emotions in singing,

• technical basics accessible to beginners,

• the importance of listening within an ensemble,

• more personal reflections on the place of music in our lives.

Some of these articles are also available in podcast, in order to make this content available to a wider audience.

Jazz and side projects

Alongside his traditional and choral activities, Corentin also writes and plays jazz. He collaborates with the Jazz Bakus Club, the group with which he released the album Bespoke, available on Spotify, among other platforms.

This dual practice, combining choral writing and jazz exploration, illustrates a desire for openness and breaking down barriers.

Vision and aesthetics

What runs through Corentin Richard's entire career is the conviction that music is first and foremost about encounter and sharing. His projects aim to take choral singing out of its rigid, ceremonial setting and reintroduce it into lively, human contexts.

Through his compositions, choir conducting, book, articles and community involvement, he champions music that is not merely an aesthetic object, but acts as a human, collective and sensitive experience.