(...)Today David Chevallier seems to have definitively found his way by committing himself definitively to these hybridizations between contemporary universe, improvised music, song, vocal art and modern jazz...Equally far from technical post-modern collages than a fusional aesthetic that erases differences, his music works so that “things merge to create forms that did not exist at the start but by seeking that the elements that constitute them remain constantly legible. (...)
David Chevallier is nonetheless a musician of his time, perfectly in phase with the great aesthetic challenges of modernity.
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Stephane Ollivier - Jazz Magazine
Active in the world of jazz and improvised music since the early 90s, David Chevallier founded his own musical company Le SonArt in 2003 to explore new avenues, imagine new forms of expression, and create works at the crossroads of seemingly distant universes.
The encounter is at the heart of the artistic and cultural project of SonArt: encounter between different genres and musical styles, encounters between music and other artistic disciplines, human encounters. This broad but still demanding approach is a lively and creative way to invest music rather than being part of an already referenced aesthetic.
SonArt is a company with variable geometry. While favoring long-term collaborations, its positioning at the crossroads of languages and forms requires calling, depending on the nature of the projects, on artistic partners evolving in different universes but open to confrontations and sharing. Denis Charolles, Yves Robert, Michel Massot, Christophe Monniot, Elise Caron, David Linx, Jean-Philippe Morel, Sébastien Boisseau, Christophe Lavergne, Anne Magouët, Kyrie Kristmanson...but also the Octoplus, A Sei Voci, Stradivaria, le Consort Sit Fast, the IXI quartet or even the director Nicolas Bonneau and the writer Pierre Senges have thus contributed, over the years, to the richness of the artistic palette of SonArt.
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The emergence of projects obviously arises from David Chevallier's artistic desires, however, his desire to share his creations with the widest possible audience has led him to diversify his musical proposals in order to broaden his distribution network which will now Today, from small venues in rural areas to operas, jazz clubs, multidisciplinary stages, vocal art, jazz or contemporary music festivals...
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Initially based in Rouen, where it was supported by the DRAC and the local authorities of Upper Normandy, Cie Le SonArt was transferred to Pays de la Loire in 2012. This new location was imposed following a residency by David Chevallier organized in 2007 and 2008 by the CRDJ and which enabled him to develop a network of cultural actors attentive to his work, including the Arc à Rezé, the Europa Jazz festival in Le Mans, the Théâtre Scène Nationale in Saint Nazaire, the Grand R Scène Nationale de La Roche Sur Yon, the Pannonica... who remain loyal partners.
The territorial anchoring of SonArt has been strengthened over the years with the dissemination of its artistic creations and also with the development of cultural actions where the originality and transversality of its repertoires offer wide possibilities in terms of awareness and transmission. However, SonArt projects continue to shine throughout the national territory and abroad.
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During the 2016-2017 and 2017-2018 seasons, David Chevallier was in residence at the Soufflerie, a contracted stage in Rezé, as part of the “associate composer” scheme supported by the DGCA and the Sacem.
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SonArt is now supported by the DRAC of Pays de la Loire.
