DANIEL THONON became interested in the Hurdy Gurdy during the revival of french traditional music in France in the 70's 

He is then in contact with various masters of this instrument, players like  René Zosso, Pierre Imbert,and especially Diego Abriel. He builds his first Hurdy Gurdy; a medieval symphonia, but it is upon his return to Canada in 1979 that he meets Yves Steinmetz and starts to build and play this instrument intensely. 

Together with Yves Steinmetz,
Daniel Thonon creates and organizes the famous " Rencontres de Vielle et Cornemuse au Québec" which brings many musicians, both Canadian and American to become interested in this instrument and the Traditional Music of France 

Out of these "rencontres" is born Advielle Que Pourra, and Daniel will bring the Hurdy Gurdy across all North America.

Daniel Thonon plays all sorts of repertoire for this instrument;from the Medieval, Renaissance, Baroque and Tradional, with groups such as Le Concert Dans L'Oeuf, Catherine Lambert, Ensemble Claude Gervaise, Tafel Music, Les Boréades, Advielle Que Pourra, as well as  McGarrigle Sisters, to the comtemporary, including Blues and Rock.  He has played La Bamba with Los Lobos, Dueling Banjos (from the film Deliverance) with its créator, Bluegrass and  Country Music, developed a  Cajun technique for the Hurdy Gurdy with Beausoleil, played Bossa Nova with Brazilians and participated in jam sessions with Tuva throat singers.  

 Daniel can also be seen and heard during a scene in the movie "Black Robe" by Bruce Beresford 

Instrument building

Daniel Thonon has studied instrument building in Paris. In the last few years, he has built an incredible amount of instrument; 6 harpsichord,
2 spinets, 6 virginals, 1 eschiquier 
(a type of medieval harpsichord),1 crank organ, 4 lutes, 3 rebecs, 5 medieval fiddles,  2 tromba marinas, 4 Tambours de Béarn, 2 citolas, 1 mandora, 2 bouzoukis, 3 Moorish guitars, 5 dulcimers, 10 guitars of various types, 1 diatonic accordion, many bombardes, 2 diatonic clarinets, many flutes, 4 bagpipes, 4 crumhorns, 1 theremine... and 28 Hurdy Gurdies; 3 of which were for Pink Floyd, 1 for the museum of the Louisbourg Fort in Cape Breton Island Louisbourg, and 1 for the instrument collection of the Canadian Museum of Civilizations.

More recently, Daniel has participated in the construction of a giant Hurdy-Gurdy, part of a multimedia, rock project by the American composer Steve Jobe, to be presented in a series of concerts in New York state in September 2007.

Daniel Thonon
333 rue Principale
Farnham, Québec
Canada, J2N 1L5

tel: 450 337-0636
portable: 514 231-5432