Duo Palissandre

Formed in 1998 by two guitarists of Bordeaux, Vanessa Dartier and Yann Dufresne, the Palissandre Duet is one of the most fervent French ambassadors of the repertoire for two guitars.

Finalist of the international contests of the FNAPEC, of Île de Ré and Montélimar, the duet wins the international guitar competition " José de Azpiazu " in 2002 in San Sebastian then that of the UFAM in 2004 in Paris.

With a great will towards  open-mindedness and musical research, the Palissandre Duet refines its practice with renowned musicians such as the guitarists Sérgio Assad and Pablo Márquez, the conductor Eric Sobczyk, the pianist France Desneulin and the baroque guitarist Marco Meloni.

Acknowledged  and estimated for its brilliant game and its musical sensibility, the Duet Palissandre is invited to play in numerous cultural programmings and international festivals in France and in Europe : Festival « Eastend Guitar Festival » de Tokyo-Japon, Festival International de Guitare de Paris, Festival International de Guitare de Mérignac, Semaine des cordes pincées de Caen, Festival Musiques au Cœur du Médoc, Festival Guitare en Picardie, Festival Musique en Périgord Vert, Festival des Concerts du Cloître, Festival Musique en Héricourt, Musikhochschule de Mondsee-Autriche, Festival de Walkenried-Allemagne, Festival Musique en Côte de Nacre, au Theodosius Cystern d’Istanbul – Turquie, au Théâtre de Ioannina – Grèce…

The Duet’s artistic choices lead them both to the repertoire initially written for guitars, and to the transcriptions of Scarlatti, Bach, Rameau, Albeniz, Fauré , or creations of contemporary works among which those of Fernando Millet, Jean-Marie Lemarchand, Thierry Rougier, Lucien Guérinel, Philippe Kadosh and Atanas Ourkouzounov who are dedicated to them.

The Duet Palissandre participates in numerous projects in association with other formations : in concertos of Vivaldi and Corigniani in association with the strings group Villa Boheme, in a XIXth century program with the piano-fortiste Pierre Millot, and with the solo oboist of the Bordeaux -Aquitaine National orchestra Jean-Yves Gicquel. The Duet creates a brand new group, Ivory and Palissandre Quartet, with the pianists France Desneulin and Guillaume Coppola with an original repertoire in 2010.

In 2006, it records a first piece called "Reflections", made of popular inspired musics for two guitars, for the Long Distance label distributed by Harmonia Mundi.


 In their second opus “Dialogando”, issued at the end of  2010, Vanessa Dartier and Yann Dufresne interpret a series of compositions, original works or transcriptions, which testify as much of the wealth of the musical traditions of the past and the present, as of the ideal exchange between the learned and popular languages.

The third record of the Palissandre duet is focused on the french music of Fauré, Debussy, Rameau for the french label Paraty/Harmonia Mundi issued in may 2019.

The last record will be based on the all duo guitar works of the bulgarian composer Atanas Ourkouzounov, planned release on 2025.

Vanessa Dartier is teaching at the Fontenay sous bois and Saint Maur des fossés Conservatories, and Yann Dufresne at the Cergy-Pontoise Conservatory.

 The Palissandre Duet plays on guitars made by the Deutch stringed-instrument maker Andreas Kirschner and is supported by the brand of strings Savarez since 2006.

Les publications du Duo Palissandre :