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Yann Tiersen
Background information
Birth name	Yann Tiersen
Born	June 23rd 1970 Brest, Brittany, France
Genre(s)	Minimalist, New Age, Avant-Garde
Occupation(s)	Musician, Songwriter
Instrument(s)	Piano, Violin, Accordion, Voice
Years active	1995 - Present

Yann Tiersen (born June 23, 1970) is a French New Age/Avant-Garde Musician and composer known for his versatility, minimalist compositions, and virtuosity as a multi-instrumentalist. Most of his pieces include piano, accordion, and violin, although many offer a much wider selection of instruments and sounds. Critics sometimes compare him to Erik Satie, Nino Rota, and the Penguin Café Orchestra for their musical proximity. His entire catalogue, including his award-winning film scores, is published by BMG Music Publishing.

Tiersen was born in Brest in 1970 and received classical training at several musical academies, including those in Rennes, Nantes, and Boulogne. Before releasing scores under his own name, Tiersen recorded background music for a number of plays and short films, such as La Vie Rêvée des Anges (1998, Erick Zonca), Alice et Martin (1998, André Téchiné), Qui Plume la Lune? (Christine Carrière, 1999).

He rose to domestic fame upon the release of his third album, Le Phare, but remained relatively unknown outside France until the release of his score for Le fabuleux destin d'Amélie Poulain in 2001, which was a mixture of both new and previously released material.

His style is typically sparse and has been compared to those of Philip Glass, Erik Satie, Steve Reich, Penguin Cafe Orchestra, Nino Rota, and Mogwai. He favors the piano, accordion, and violin, but is also known for his experimentation and use of obscure instruments like the ondes martenot and the typewriter.

Yann Tiersen's list of collaborators continued to grow after album (see discography below for details). While composing his fifth album, L'absente, Tiersen lended his musical talent to Françoiz Breut and Les Têtes Raides for their own albums. His 2005 album, Les Retrouvailles, featured vocals from Stuart Staples of Tindersticks, Jane Birkin, Elizabeth Fraser, formerly of Cocteau Twins, and Japanese pop artist Gackt. Tiersen also played piano on Staples' solo album, Lucky Dog Recordings 03-04.

His live performances vary greatly. Sometimes he is accompanied by an orchestra and many guest collaborators, like Dominique A. Others, he offers the more frequent minimalistic sessions, usually accompanied only by a drummer/bassist and a guitarist, with Tiersen switching seamlessly between piano, accordion, and violin for his lighter songs, and electric guitar for his harder pieces.

• La Valse des Monstres (1995)
• Rue des Cascades (1996)
  • Collaborations: Claire Pichet.
• Le Phare (1998)
  • Collaborations: Claire Pichet, Dominique A.
• Tout est Calme (1999)
  • Collaborations: The Married Monk.
• Black Session (1999)
  • Live album
  • Collaborations: Neil Hannon (of The Divine Comedy), Bertrand Cantat (of Noir Désir), Françoiz Breut, The Married Monk, Les Têtes Raides and a string quartet.
• Amélie Original Soundtrack (2001)
• L'Absente (2001)
  • Collaborations: the Vienna Symphony Orchestra, Lisa Germano, Neil Hannon (of The Divine Comedy), Dominique A, Françoiz Breut, Les Têtes Raides, Sacha Toorop (of Zop Hopop), the actress Natacha Regnier, Christian Quermalet (of The Married Monk), Marc Sens (a Serge Tessot-Gay collaborator), Christine Ott and a string quartet.
• C’était ici (2002)
• Good Bye Lenin! Original Soundtrack (2003)
  • Collaborations: Claire Pichet.
• Yann Tiersen & Shannon Wright (2004)
  • Collaborations: Shannon Wright.
• Les Retrouvailles (2005)
  • Collaborations: Stuart Staples of Tindersticks , Jane Birkin , Elizabeth Fraser of Cocteau Twins .
• On Tour (2006)

• Yann Tiersen's official homepage
• Unofficial site with forum
• Yann Tiersen interview at musicOMH.com
• Yann Tiersen at the Internet Movie Database
• Concert photos by Laurent Orseau (Black Session)
• Concert photos by Laurent Orseau (La Route du Rock 1998)