About the Trio

50 languages, over 9 centuries of music, and 50 candles!

Their Story

LES ITINÉRANTES is an a cappella trio founded in Paris in 2017. The project originated from a fortuitous encounter between three singers initially brought together for a single concert. Coming from diverse backgrounds and repertoires, they nonetheless share a common desire for vocal exploration and an open approach to singing, beyond established categories. From the very first rehearsals, it became clear: the trio would become a space for research into sound, the voice, and what it reveals about our humanity.

Without instruments, LES ITINÉRANTES explore singing as a living medium: a space for memory, transmission, and connection. Their repertoire spans over nine centuries of music, some fifty languages, and numerous vocal traditions. This diversity is not an encyclopedic endeavor, but a shared desire to explore what connects human beings beyond song, across styles and eras, and to contribute to preserving the richness of intangible heritage.

Dfrom early music to French chanson, passing through world music and sacred songs, they combine original arrangements and compositions to illustrate the themes dear to them:

WOMEN – NATURE
TRAVEL – IMAGINATION

Their work draws equally on the interpretation of ancient and traditional music and on original compositions and arrangements. Singing is regarded as a primary gesture, rooted in the body, resonating with emotions, foundational narratives, and natural cycles. This approach is based on vocal work of great musical and technical rigor, supported by a particularly demanding a cappella writing style.

LES ITINÉRANTES regularly perform in France and internationally, at festivals and venues dedicated to vocal and musical creation. They have shared the stage with numerous artists and ensembles, and have recorded several albums. In June 2023, they won first prize in the acoustic category of the Tampere International Competition, as well as the Grand Prix, becoming the first French acoustic group to receive this distinction.

Rejecting rigid frameworks, LES ITINÉRANTES continue to explore the a cappella voice as a place of encounter and gathering, asserting its dimension as both archaic and profoundly contemporary. A singing practice founded on listening, sharing, and human experience.

Discography

2019 – “Au Fil de l’Air”, self-produced album
2021 – “Winter Journeys”, Ambronay Éditions label
2022 – “Existence Shade”, EP in collaboration with artist Philip Barkhudarov
2024 – “Origines”, Mirare label, official album of La Folle Journée de Nantes
2026 – “Hysterae”, album in production

Past Tours

FRANCE

Folle Journée de Nantes, Via Aeterna, Rivage des Voix (St-Florent-le-Vieil), Royal Abbey of Fontevraud, Sacred Music Festival (Hyères, Lyon), Rocamadour Festival, Conques Musical Encounters, Sacred Music Festival (Perpignan), Voice Festival (Châteauroux), Vocal Follies (Agen), European Early Music Days (Montpellier), The Daily and Musical Encounters of Vézelay (City of Voice), Ambronay Festival, Sylvanès Sacred Music Festival, Tour with the National Stage of Tarbes, and with the Compiègne Theater, Autumn Notes Festival, Sablonceau Abbey, Musical Spring in Roannais, Musical Nights in Vendée Romane, Music at Mirabelles (Hattonchâtel), Musical Face-to-Face (Caluire), Baroque in Forez Festival (Goutelas), Beaulieu Classic Festival, Musical Walks of Pays d’Auge, Festival of Singing Stones (Black Valley), Concerts de Poche, Nights of the Forests (Savoie), Musical Thursdays of Royan, Musical Spring in Moselle, Concerts de Poche, Les musicales de Redon,…

With Natalie Dessay:
Le Bon Marché, Bordeaux Opera, UNESCO, FR3 “Symphonie pour la vie”

INTERNATIONAL

La Folle Journée de Warsaw (Poland), La Folle Journée de Tokyo (Japan), Tampere Vocal Music Festival (Finland), Batenburg Baroque Festival (Netherlands), Udaipur World Music Festival (India), Frankfurt RheinMain festival & Konzertwinter Passau (Germany), Latvia, Benin, Iceland, Netherlands, Italy…

In collaboration with the Irish ensemble ANÚNA:
Tours in the Netherlands, Sweden, Ireland, Spain, Germany, China, Japan

Manon Cousin

Coming from a family of musicians, Manon began music at a very young age with the electronic organ. At 11, she joined a singing troupe, then entered the Chalon-sur-Saône conservatory where she studied singing, classical solfège, and jazz. She sang in various ensembles, developed a passion for polyphony, then taught singing at the Chalon-sur-Saône choir school and the Autun choir school from 2008 to 2011. In 2012, she joined the International Academy of Musical Theatre in Paris. Co-creator of the trio Les Itinérantes since 2017, she composes, arranges, and writes for this project, and for other projects such as her electro EP “Jeane Selleck” or the book-album Rondes autour de la Terre (Esperluète Éditions), which won the Charles Cros Academy Youth Prize (music). Since 2021, she has been working with the vocal ensemble ANÚNA, directed by Irish composer Michael McGlynn.

Pauline Langlois De Swarte

Pauline began music at the age of 4, studying piano, viola da gamba, harpsichord, singing, and dance. Daughter of singers, she discovered early music at a very young age and trained in medieval singing with her parents and Lucie Jolivet. After a course of musical studies at the Perpignan CRR, she obtained her DEM in piano, chamber music, musical training, and the accompaniment UV. She continued her studies at the École Normale de Musique de Paris (Alfred Cortot) where she obtained the 5th execution diploma in piano and chamber music (in a duo with her brother Théotime), while perfecting her vocal technique with phoniatrician Benoît Amy de la Bretèque and regularly singing as a soloist with the Irvem choir school. She subsequently joined the International Academy of Musical Theatre, where she completed professional training for three years. Director of the musical theatre section of the Irvem choir school (66), co-founder of La Compagnie and La Clairière (associations for the development of musical theatre in France), she directs, stages, and performs in numerous shows. In 2021, she joined the vocal ensemble ANÚNA, directed by Irish composer Michael McGlynn.

Today, she is a singer, arranger, stage director, and vocal and musical director for various artistic projects.

Élodie Pont

An artist from a young age (singing, dancing, theatre, flute…), Elodie entered the International Academy of Musical Theatre (AICOM) in Paris in 2012 to hone her skills in the performing arts. From 2015 to 2022, she performed in various musicals including “Madiba” (Comedia then Carthage Ancient Theatre), the creation “The 300-Meter Tower” (Comédie Bastille), the Christmas show “Let’s Sing Christmas” at Disneyland Paris, the tour of Pierre Guillois and Nicolas Ducloux’s creation “Mars 2037” (national stages)…

For several years, she was also part of the vintage singer/dancer group “The Satin Dollz”. Since 2021, she has occasionally participated in international tours with the vocal ensemble ANÚNA, directed by Irish composer Michael McGlynn.

Today, she is a singer, composer, and arranger, and regularly organizes workshops focusing on voice and body. In 2025, she will compose the original soundtrack for the documentary “The Wolf and the Schoolboy” by Corinne Wüthrich-Jounieaux.