THE STORY
While studying at Codarts, the prestigious conservatory of Rotterdam, Céline Bishop discovered, randomly, the voice of Luis Rigou, and was astonished by its unique texture. After moving to Paris, she asked him to become her tango voice. Luis Rigou, whose only experience with tango was as the flute soloist of the Cuarteto Cedron, was at first skeptical, but after a few tryouts agreed to accept the challenge.
After having recorded their first album (released in November 2019), the duo appears in concert with a variety of musical combinations.
As a duo, Céline Bishop at the piano and Luis Rigou, singing. For the “historical” tangos, Luis also plays flutes, mainly transverse, but also a historical “Buffet Crampon” from 1862, with ebony rings, representative of the flute played in tangos from the “Guardia Vieja”.
Tango Secret can also be played in a quartet setting for concerts, with a bandoneon and a double bass, or even as a quintet with the addition of a saxophone.
In their new musical show, they are accompanied by musicians and by Los Guardiola, an extraordinary duo of mime and dance, with the stage direction of Coralie Zahonero from the Comédie-Française and Vicente Pradal.
Céline Bishop
Céline Bishop, who began playing the piano at the age of six and devoted herself to classical music for many years, discovered the world of Argentine Tango in 2009. It’s at «Tango de Soie» (Lyon) that she took her first steps as a dancer and played her first Tango concerts.
In 2012 Céline set out to study for a Bachelor’s degree in Argentine Tango at Codarts Conservatory, in cosmopolitan and exotic Rotterdam, tutored by Gustavo Beytelmann and Wim Warman, performing all over the country with the well-known Gran Orchestra Típica OTRA.
In 2016 Céline settled in Paris and returned to teaching at the Conservatory of music in Puteaux, while continuing her own studies at Gennevilliers with Juan José and Juanjo Mosalini. Driven by the multitude of Parisian musical encounters, she plays in several ensembles such as La Grossa, Orchestra tipica, Calambre (Tango quartet), and Barco Negro (Fado Trio).
Luis Rigou
Luis Rigou, while studying music at the National Conservatory of Buenos Aires, played with Jaime Torres and also with Anibal Sampayo. Later, he created the ensemble Maiz, with whom he was awarded the Revelation prize at the Cosquin Festival in 1987. He performed throughout all of South America, as well as in 13 European countries, where he settled in 1989. Invited to France to be part of the Cuarteto Cedron as a flute player, he collaborated with many other artists: Luis Naón, Ricardo Moyano, Minino Garay, Gustavo Beytelmann, Antonio Agri, Nilda Fernández, Sergio Ortega, and the Idan Raichel Project.
However, it was under the name of Diego Modena and his album Ocarina, recorded in 1992, that Luis became world famous. Ocarina was No. 1 in the Hit Parade in 14 countries, including France, and in the Top 10 of 44 countries. He was awarded 57 golden, platinum and diamond discs.
He subsequently recorded 18 other albums, taking on the artistic direction of Luis Llach and in 1995, recorded the famous Complainte de Pablo Neruda with French singer Jean Ferrat. In 1996 he began his long collaboration with Vicente Pradal for Cantique Spirituel, Llanto por Ignacio Sánchez Mejías, Peleas y Melisanda, Vendrá de noche and currently Medianoche.
Additionally, he composes and performs film music (institutional, short and long movies) including: Karim et Sala, by I. Ouedraogo, Special Prize at the Cannes Festival 91, Voleur d’enfants of C. de Chalonge with Marcello Mastroiani, and with E. Makaroff and H. Arntzen, he won the Fondation de France prize at the Biarritz Festival for the film music Médecins du Monde in 1997. In 2004, he composed and recorded Cayetano et la Baleine, a CD-book for Gallimard Jeunesse, which was highly successful.
Currently he performs throughout Europe as a soloist with the ensemble La Chimera in Misa de Indios, Misa Criolla, with the Coro Polifónico de Pamplona and Gracias a La Vida.