The Sound of Voices

At 6 p.m. on April 18， 2014， an hour before curtain， crowds had already lined up in front of the auditorium at Communication University of China （CUC） for the musical Once Upon a Time， There Was a Voice.

The musical， performed by French band Manu Revol together with a CUC chorus， began with the sound of breathing， which gradually turned into melodic chants without words. When the song “Lakeside”echoed in the air， an animated French boy appeared on a screen next to the stage： In a dream， the boy becomes fascinated with Chinese folk song “Jasmine Flower，” which brings him to China. Despite its lack of an elaborate set， the performance still intoxicated everyone in attendance.

A Vocal Story

This was the first stop of Manu Revol’s China tour， a Sino-French musical exchange event sponsored by the Chinese People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries （CPAFFC） in celebration of the 50th anniversary of ChinaFrance diplomatic relationship.

Rather than narrative， Once Upon a Time， There Was a Voice is more a compi- lation of songs， including solos， choruses， and pure music， all related to voice： voice of love， voice of family， and voice of peace.“Voice is the common wealth of mankind，” remarks Manu Lesschaeve， lead singer of the French band. “It can express emotions shared around the world： death， sadness， love， and joy. These emotions are all expressed in different ways. The beauty of the show lies in that it brings together two cultures. When they meet， they find they are different， but at the same time， they find commonalities they share. Then， exchange begins.”

“We seek to transcend boundaries of contrasting arts and cultures，” Lesschaeve adds. “Two years ago， we visited China with French philharmonic musicians for a cultural exchange project with Chinese musicians. This time we decided to bring a concert themed on voice.”

Cécile Cognet， another singer in Manu Revol， is a vocalist who studied at the Royal College of Art. She is greatly interested in folk music from around the world. When Lesschaeve revealed the plan to hold a concert about voice in China， she was enthusiastic about participating. “Voice is what we were focused on， and she had long desired to visit China，” Lesschaeve explains.

The show also includes a song based on French poet Jacques Prévert’s verses and a tune opposing militarism and preaching peace. This conforms to a principle that Manu Revol has held： “If you know your neighbor well， you will never fall into fighting.”

Connection to China

The bond between Manu Lesschaeve and China began in 2008. To publicize the Beijing Olympics， China dispatched several delegations to carry out exchange projects with foreign institutions. It was by chance that Lesschaeve met representatives of CPAFFC at a charity campaign.

“CPAFFC representatives told me about a humanitarian program aiming to help residents of rural Guangzhou get drinking water by installing water pumps，” Lesschaeve recalls. “In the year that followed， I mobilized French youngsters to raise funds for the program through sporting events.”

Later， Lesschaeve and other French youths were invited to watch the Beijing Olympics. “Of course， we also visited some villages in Guangzhou， where residents had to walk miles to get drinking water. The Chinese government provided 90 percent of the funds needed to give them water pumps， and the other 10 percent came from people we inspired in France.”

During the trip， Lesschaeve visited many schools and children’s cultural centers. He was most impressed by hearing students play Chinese folk music on Western instruments at a Beijing middle school. “It was amazing，” he exclaims.“And it gave me an idea： Why not invite these students to perform in France？ Such exchange would fascinate both sides.” This was exactly what happened.

The Chinese students discovered a whole new world upon visiting France， just as did French spectators who listened to music played by Chinese students and a French orchestra together. The tour benefited Haiti disaster relief， and all revenue from ticket sales was donated to victims of the Haiti earthquake.

Since then， Lesschaeve has continued devoting himself to cultural and artistic exchange between China and France. In 2011， CPAFFC invited Lesschaeve and his band to perform in China. Then， his band performed a musical titled Les Maries de la Tour Eiffel， with an anti-militarism theme. In 2012， he once again helped a Chinese student orchestra tour France.“Cultural exchange events organized by governmental departments are usually too conventional，” Lesschaeve explains. “China sends a Peking Opera troupe to France， and France dispatches an orchestra in return. I prefer performances that are less formal and typical.”

Two years later， Leasschaeve and his band returned to China once again. Beijing was the first stop of their tour. In addition to CUC， they also performed at Temple Bar and Fengtai Children’s Palace. Their next stops are Shandong and Hunan provinces.

Wherever they perform in China， they are always joined by local musicians and students. “The diversity of Chinese music provides extra inspiration for me，” Leasschaeve comments. “I don’t think music is universal because it is a product of each culture. However， after you spend time learning and listening， you will eventually understand it. In fact， music， education， sports， and any other things that enable humans to flourish should disregard national boundaries. For humans， what is universal is the ability to learn and enrich their lives.”