Vincent Ségal

Trained in classical cello at the Conservatoire national supérieur de musique de Paris and later at the Banff Centre in Canada, Vincent Ségal has, since the 1990s, developed a career spanning experimental music, chanson, jazz and so-called world repertoires. Born in Reims, he first drew attention as part of the duo Bumcello, founded with percussionist Cyril Atef, where Ségal’s cello moves between groove, rock, improvisation and electronic textures, reflecting a very flexible approach to genre boundaries. At the same time he pursues an unconventional chamber-music activity—most notably a long-standing collaboration with Malian kora player Ballaké Sissoko—and has worked with singer-songwriters, jazz musicians and contemporary ensembles, both on stage and in the studio as an arranger or guest instrumentalist. Active on numerous festival stages in France and internationally, he also contributes to film, theatre and dance, where his cello, often combined with rhythmic elements and modal or folk influences, serves as a link between composed writing and improvisation.