Emmanuelle Parrenin

Emmanuelle Parrenin is a French folk singer, harpist and hurdy-gurdy player who was first active in the late 1960s and 1970s as part of "le mouvement folk".

Early life and education

Parrenin was born into a family steeped in classical music: her mother played the harp and her father the violin, and studied ballet as child. She expanded her musical horizons during her teenage years, and was influenced by meeting Eric Clapton and The Yardbirds, during a visit to England while a teenager.

At age 19, she met the hurdy-gurdy player Christian Leroy Gour'han, , and Alan Stivell at Le Bourbon folk club. The title refers to the house she grew up in, and the musical influences she imbibed there. The album took "the revived instruments of le mouvement folk out into new territory". Told that she had lost her hearing permanently, she moved to the Alps, and as self-therapy she began playing and singing again. As her hearing improved she used the techniques she had learned with others including with people with autism and psychiatric disorders.

In March 2011 Parrenin released a new album, "Maison Cube". in collaboration with singer/songwriter Flóp and Jaumet. The title refers to the cube-shaped house where it was recorded.

In 2019 and 2020 she collaborated with Detlef Weinreich, (who works as the producer Tolouse Low Trax) to produce the album Jours de Grève (Strike Days) inspired by recent French general strikes.