Laurent Sureau

Laurent grew up in a musical family and his passion for music started early. He began learning piano at the age of 6, then expanded his range of skills by studying percussion: classic and contemporary first (timpani, vibraphone, etc.), then drums from various continents (congas, cajon, West African balafon) and drums, chromatic balafon, Hang and handpans.

Laurent started study vocal techniques from 2008 to further develop his work in the Mayaelo group. His curiosity and thirst for discovery lead him to express herself through music without boundaries of style. He feels aesthetics as color palettes allowing him to fully express himself. He doesn’t hesitate to work with traditional, improvised, amplified, electronic, pop, experimental and classical music. He enjoys combining all aspects of music, from singing to body percussion, using his eclectic background of musical capabilities to explore how it is possible to blend flavours. Through an extensive variety of encounters throughout his life, Laurent has built a highly individual musical identity.

As a graduate of the French Conservatory system (gold medal and DEM) Laurent excels in written music. Internships, master classes and travel have prompted him to incorporate oral traditions and improvised music, so he has joyfully built bridges between different modes of musical expression. The joy of sharing and a taste for novelty led him to travel and perform in groups with very varied compositions and to accompany other artists in their on-stage or studio projects. This includes work with the Tempo Primo symphony orchestra, the Ars Nova brass quintet, Le grand Rateau big band, Morgane Ji, Mayaëlo, Bill Banquise, Dine et Deon, Cordéone, Olivier Carole Ensemble, Doro’t, Sale petit Bonhomme, Rauni, Siko, Imad Saleh, Nour , Bebey Youla, Alama Kante, Dave Golitin, Pablo Mendez, Matthieu Metzger, Thomas Grimmonprez and Christophe Lardeau amongst others.

Currently, he performs live as a member of Owa, OLOJi, TwinPan. In terms of teaching: Laurent studied teaching through a desire to share his passion for music. His main objective is to allow others to find their own musical path. Amongst other courses, he studied at CEFEDEM in Poitiers, where he obtained the National Diploma in Music Education and Percussion (1997). Then he taught at CRD Chateauroux, CRR Poitiers and at Mamady Keïta’s « Tam Tam Mandingue Poitiers » School of African Arts.

In 2001, further research and his developing musical profile led him to obtain a Qualification as a coordinator/teacher of contemporary amplified music, which resulted in a very eclectic and personal educational project. Currently, he is Professor of Artistic Education at the Conservatoire à Rayonnement Régional de Poitiers, at the Migné-Auxances's site in France.