It is a size of the hurdy-gurdy which has just been established in Saint-Brieuc. At 38 years old, Audren Kerboeuf is the only manufacturer in the West of this instrument which appeared in the Middle Ages. Originally from Saint-Quay Portrieux, he chose to leave Plouër-sur-Rance, where he previously lived, to move with his family to the city of Briochina. At 15 rue de la Paix, in a house with a double garage, transformed in a few weeks into a functional workshop.
A niche profession
At the beginning of February, Audren got back to work, setting down the assembly of a hurdy-gurdy for a customer in Boston, United States. The craftsman sells mainly via the internet in France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany, Italy, Spain and many in the USA and Canada. “The requests are pouring in, because there is hardly any factor of hurdy-gurdies outside of Europe. Even in France, there are only four or five of us. It’s a niche profession, ”explains Audren.
“I was fed up with spending my days behind a computer, I wanted to work with my hands”.
From computer to manual work
In the middle of the hurdy-gurdy, the Kerboeuf family has a solid reputation. Due in particular to Bernard, Audren’s father, who worked in violin making for about thirty years. Before his son took over, four years ago, by undergoing a radical professional retraining. Hired on leaving school at Hewlett-Packard in Ireland, Audren became web project manager. Then joined a web agency in Lille until saturation took hold. “I was fed up with spending my days behind a computer, I wanted to work with my hands”.
The discovery of cabinetmaking and the manufacture of his first hurdy-gurdy alongside his father convinced him to embrace the profession. A choice he does not regret. “Of course, I have found my way”, he confides, inexhaustible on the history of hurdy-gurdies over the centuries, on their complex assembly, on the way of playing this “orchestral instrument” …
From the old medieval to the contemporary
It takes at least three weeks to manufacture an old “basic” costing € 1,800. One month for high-end models, sold for € 3,800 each. In its palette, Audren offers contemporary hurdy-gurdies with refined shapes, traditional hurdy-gurdies adorned with sculpted heads and marquetry, medieval hurdy-gurdies with a slightly different aesthetic, or even study hurdles dedicated to learning. “All of this is very customizable”, assures the craftsman who also carries out catering, maintenance and rental.
An instrument that gains notoriety
“The instrument has had its ups and downs throughout its history, but it is gaining notoriety thanks in particular to players that we see on YouTube. We can just as easily find the hurdy-gurdy in a traditional group as in electro music ”. And the demand is there: Audren’s order book is full for the next two years. What to approach the future serenely. “In the tense economic situation we are experiencing, I consider myself privileged.”
To note
Phone. 06 40 98 99 84
Mail : [email protected]
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