Alcor Duo

The Alcor Duo was born in France in 2002 from a very special musical complicity of two complementary instrumentalists :

Cordelia Palm, a german born violinist (a graduate of the Karlsruhe Musikhochschule in Germany and of the Julliard School in New York (USA) where she worked with Ivan Galamian), whose rich career has led her to become the solo violinist and concertmaster of the National Avignon Provence Orchestra in France, as well as a member of several french Chamber Music Ensembles. During her career, Cordelia has performed alongside many great artists including Henri Demarquette, Bruno Rigutto, Gary Hoffman, Vahan Mardirossian, Olivier Charlier, Patrice Fontanarosa, Jean-Claude Pennetier, Jean-Claude Malgoire, Philippe Bary, and Blandine Dumay. Amongst her beautiful discography, she is the very first violinist to have recorded french composer Charlotte Sohy's music for violin and orchestra ; a highly praised album released by french label "La boîte à pépites" in 2022.

Aliénor Girard-Guigas, a french harpist (a graduate with TB honors from the National Superior Conservatory of Music of Lyon in France), who has performed under the baton of many prestigious conductors including Michel Plasson , Gilbert Amy, Jean-Claude Casadesus, Jean-Jacques Kantorow, Leonard Slatkin, Jun Märkl, Kent Nagano, Evelino Pido, Rolf Reuter, Emmanuel Krivine, Mikko Franck, and Kazushi Ono. She has also performed in many important and well-known Festivals.

Over the years, Cordelia and Aliénor have worked together on many occasions and for diverse projects, as soloists and for concerts with orchestra at important venues and main festivals of the classical music scene (Festival La Roque d'Anthéron, Chorégies d’Orange,...)

In 2002, being both interested in exploring new styles of music and new repertoires, and being united by a beautiful friendship and a common passion for chamber music, Cordelia and Aliénor created the Alcor Duo.

Alcor...a Duo, and what a symbol too !

Indeed, the Duo Alcor's name is not only combining the first syllables of their first names, it is also related to the name of an actual star ;  one of the 7 stars (sacred number of union between earth and sky) of the brightest Arctic constellation of the North, nicknamed the “Chariot of David”,...a harpist King in search of harmony.