‍2025 has been a notable year for the passing of so many of the larger-than-life figures of Breton music. With a nod of acknowledgement to the great Erik Marchand, none of these can compare to the irreplaceable Soïg Sibéril. This writer recalls vividly as a very young adult the enormous impact the recordings of the group Kornog had on my tender psyche, to the point of completely redirecting my own musical interests and activities. The first time I saw Sibéril perform in person was a few years later when he accompanied the original Celtic Fiddle Festival. At the time I was keenly struck not so much by his musical virtuosity which I fully expected, but by the gentle humor that radiated from his person. This article contains our own observations, as well as translated quotes from several interviews conducted with Sibéril in 2002, 2012, and 2022 as presented in a recent article by Philippe Perrichon, which can be found on the Rythmes Croisés website.

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‍Soïg Sibéril: An Overview

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‍Beloved Breton guitarist and composer Soïg Sibéril passed away in Carhaix (Finistère) on April 5, 2025 at the age of 70, after a long illness. Sibéril was a Breton guitarist of monumental significance; Breton music has lost one of its great figures. While Sibéril was a pivotal figure of the Breton scene, he was also well-known as an approachable, endearing personality noted for his kindness, simplicity, twinkling eyes, and mischievous smile. An exceptional guitarist, he contributed enormously to the revival of Breton music since the late 1970s, in his many bands and as a soloist. 

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‍He was one of the pioneers of the guitar as a complete instrument into traditional Breton music. It is impossible to speak of Breton guitar without mentioning Soïg Sibéril. (For English speakers, his first name is pronounced ‘sswhy’ with just a bit of a G on the end. His last name is pronounced ‘See-beh-reel’.) The Breton guitarist was like an Armorican cousin of Pierre Bensusan in that he applied “open tuning” guitar technique to the traditional Breton repertoire. He developed a striking, complex guitar technique for traditional music accompaniment and solo performance. His participation in the most evolutionary groups of Breton music (Kornog, Gwerz, etc) and his lengthy solo career have solidified the acoustic guitar in Breton music as a soloist instrument in its own right.

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‍He passed not far from the old presbytery of Trébrivan (Côtes-d’Armor) where he lived. It was in the same town where, on May 12, 1981, two days after the election of François Mitterrand,  he resigned from his job as an educator to become a professional guitarist.  "We thought that anything was possible!” he had stated.

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‍Sibéril was born in Bois-Colombes near Paris to a Breton father from Glomel and a Moroccan mother. He often liked to mention that he had been "more influenced by kig ha farz (Breton stew) than by couscous" and added with a smile, "Yet some people say that there is a Mediterranean side to my way of playing."

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‍“The main difficulty for an acoustic guitarist who wants to confront Breton music is to stay in the style,” said Sibéril, “because style, in Breton music, is very important. However, this style can sometimes be a little... “anti-guitar”! (laughs) So you have to adapt a special approach, and that’s what’s very interesting. I developed a way to play the guitar using “open tuning,” which existed long before, which I adapted to Breton music. I listen to a lot of sonneurs and singers, and I get inspired by it a lot for phrasing, etc. This often goes against the guitar technique. But hey, it is still possible... (laughs) I was very inspired by Micheal O’Domnhaill, who was part of the legendary Bothy Band group. We had the opportunity to meet many years ago (They met in 1975), and he focused me a little on this way of playing, in DADGAD. So I then tried to develop this technique in Breton music. I find that the latter is less technical than other so-called Celtic musics, but that it contains more traps or subtleties that are not found in Irish or Scottish music…This way of playing allows me to adapt traditional pieces to my instrument, which is not a traditional one, and also to compose, always keeping the roots of the country deep within me,” he told Philippe Perrichon in 2012. 

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‍Soïg Sibéril strummed his first chords at the age of 18 when his brother left for military service, leaving his guitar behind. When he discovered the guitar, Sibéril, young Breton from Paris, was first inspired by bluegrass and  American folk musicians such as Bob Dylan and Pete Seeger. Moving to Brittany in the 1970s, his interest in American music soon gave way to that for Armorican music. Settling in Kreiz-Breizh (central Brittany) he created “compositions with roots from here.” In 1975 he joined the folk group Sked, the beginning of a musical journey that would make Soïg the essential figure in the adaptation of the guitar to Breton music.

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‍The long colorful graphic to the right shows every recording where Sibéril ever appeared, in any capacity, in chronological order.

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‍Kornog

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‍In the early 1980s he met Jamie McMenemy, the talented bouzouki player of the Battlefield Band, with whom he founded the  legendary group Kornog (for English speakers, rhymes with corndog) along with violinist Christian Lemaitre and flutist Jean-Michel Veillon. Kornog released three astonishing recordings with Sibéril, extensively toured Europe and were more or less the only significant band to bring Breton music to the United States. Kornog is considered by many to be a Celtic ‘supergroup’ - their style, which featured focused flute and fiddle melodies backed by an intricate bouzouki and guitar rhythm section, set them apart from others and influenced countless subsequent musicians. Kornog’s unique sound merged traditional Breton tunes with Scottish vocal repertoire and complex acoustic arrangements in virtuosic performances. 

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‍Gwerz

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‍Soïg soon joined another essential historical reference of Breton music, the equally iconic band Gwerz (for English speakers, pronounced gwayrss). Founded in the mid-1980s, Gwerz featured some of the most innovative musicians in the contemporary Breton folk scene, including singer Erik Marchand, piper Patrick Molard, violinist Jacky Molard,  and bombard/oboist and woodwind maker Youenn Le Bihan, also known as the mainstay of the group Skolvan. They combined traditional Breton vocals and instruments with modern elements and outrageously creative arrangements, setting a benchmark that has rarely been surpassed decades later.  Along with the group Barzaz, Gwerz is one of the key bands whose work continues to inspire the Breton scene. Gwerz's importance lies in their role as a bridge between the deeply rooted, unaccompanied oral tradition and the vibrant sound of modern Breton music. Their innovative approach helped open the door for a wave of musical development that continues to this day.  

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‍Gwerz later merged with Kornog in the late 1980’s, giving birth to the band Pennou Skoulm (meaning Knot Heads or Dick Heads, name courtesy of the notoriously ribald humor of flutist Jean-Michel Veillon). Pennou Skoulm’s repertoire was also mainly Breton, but utilized instruments that were not then usually considered Breton, such as ueillean pipes from Ireland.

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‍Les Ours Du Scorff

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‍Les Ours du Scorff (The Bears of Scorff) were a lighter vein of Breton music for a generally young audience that produced a number of recordings on the former Keltia Musique label. Vocalists Gilbert Bourdin and Laurent/Lors Jouin formed the group. Singers of traditional music at heart, they brought in well-known instrumentalists such as Fañch Landreau, Jacques Yves Réhault, and of course Soïg Sibéril. Their music melded Breton, Cajun, and Irish traditions, all without sacrificing too much for the simplicity demanded of music for children. 

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‍Solo

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‍After immersing himself in Breton music in several groups, Sibéril turned towards a soloist or duo approach and a desire to compose. In the early 1990s, with an always-evolving guitar technique, he launched his solo recording adventure. His solo discography alternates between recordings with a variety of guests and expansive arrangements, and those that are primarily based around solo guitar. 

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‍Sibéril spoke about this approach in 2002. “I made a first CD, Digor (Breton for open), on which I had invited a lot of musicians (Jacky Molard, Jacques Pellen, Ronan Le Bars…), then a second, Entre ardois et granit.. (Between slate and granite…), which was more focused on solo guitar. For my third album, Gwenojenn,(Pathways) I wanted to focus more on composition and also guest players. Hence the presence of Karl Gouriou, Alain Genty, Alan Stivell, and Didier Squiban. Since then, I made the record Gitar, which, as the name suggests, is again more focused on the instrument in question, with many pieces in solo and others in duet with other guitarists, such as Jean-Félix Lalanne and Patrice Marzin.” Sibéril recorded 12 solo albums - see the essential discography to the right, which features his solo recordings and the groups to which he was a full-time member.  

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‍Collaborators and other groupings

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‍Over the course of his career Soïg Sibéril played with many well-known musicians from the Breton scene and beyond: Patrick and Jacky Molard, Erik Marchand, Jacques Pellen, Jean-Félix Lalanne, Didier Squiban, Alan Stivell, Ronan Le Bars, Nolwenn Corbel, Éric Le Lann, and many others.  The most consistent figures that he performed and recorded with, from his early days in Kornog right up to the end of his life, were undoubtedly bouzouki player Jamie McMenemy, bassist Alain Genty, and guitarist and producer Jean-Félix Lalanne.

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‍Sibéril participated in a number of groups without an extensive discography. In 1987, he participated in the quintet Den, which borrowed personnel from his previous projects for a sort of traditional-progressive rock fusion, which was not entirely successful but has proven to be highly influential.  In 1989, he founded the Kemia Trio with the late, great bouzouki player Frank Le Bloas and keyboardist Alain Rouquette; they released one recording in 1991. In 1998 he performed as the guitar accompanist for the first iteration of the Celtic Fiddle Festival group, which featured his former Kornog bandmate Christian LeMaitre. Later he joined the Celtic Guitar Festival, a guitar-specific take on the concept with Tony McManus, Alain Genty, and Steve Cooney. In 2002 he released the single recording of his groundbreaking power-guitar trio PSG with Jean-Charles Guichen and Patrice Marzin. That same year he also released Kan ha gitar with vocalist Laurent (AKA Lors) Jouin of Les Ours Du Scorff.  In 2003 he released Du côté de chez Soïg, a live recording based around the Digor Quintet featuring Sibéril, saxophonist Karl Gouriou, bassist Alain Genty, oudist Camel Zukri, and drummer Pierre-Yves Prothais.

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‍In 2004 he released the album The Clearstream on the Greentrax label, with Alain Genty and Tony McManus. In 2005, he played in duo with Gilles Le Bigot (Kornog, Skolvan), another pivotal Breton guitarist.  He released the album Red with vocalist Nolwenn Korbel in 2007. In 2010 he toured with Jamie McMenemy, and released the album and concert series Around the Celtic Guitar with Jean-Félix Lalanne, Gildas Arzel, Gilles Le Bigot, and Dan Ar Braz. He released the recording Free Duo in 2011 with Cédric Le Bozec  He then played in the Celtic rock band Breizharock alongside a Bagad directed by Le Bozec, with guitarists Pat O'May, Jean-Marc Illien, Xavier Soulabail, and Fred Moreau, and released a DVD/CD Live and two albums. 

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‍In 2012 he created, for his 30th anniversary of being on stage, his show Du côté de chez Soïg with Jamie Mc Menemy, Nolwenn Korbell, Lors Jouin and Karl Gouriou, named after his 2003 recording of the same name. He recorded on Gwennyn’s album (Grand Prix du disque du Télégramme) and again accompanied vocalist Nolwenn Korbell on stage as a duo.  He participated in several cine-concert creations by accordionist Alain Pennec: The Battleship Potemkin in 2013, and The Manxman in 2015 at the Festival Interceltique. He joined the group Joa with vocalist Armel An Héjer in 2013, but never recorded more than one delightful track on their first album, released before he had become a full-time member. For his tenth album (Dek), Sibéril returned to traditional acoustic music and, after his summer 2014 tour, he presented his show "Un bout de chemin" in which he was accompanied by the photographs of Éric Legret. The storyteller Hervé Bellec made musical readings of texts written for the album and the stage, told live on certain dates. In 2014 he formed a duet with accordionist Étienne Grandjean, with whom he had first played in Pennou Skoulm; they released the album La Tempête in 2016. Performing with Jean-Félix Lalanne from 2016 onwards, they released the album Back to Celtic Guitar in 2019.

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‍Awards

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‍In 2006, Sibéril released his album Lammat, with Nolwenn Korbell, Eric Le Lann, and Patrice Marzin, among others. Lammat received the 2006 Coup de Coeur trophy awarded by Musique et Danse en Finistère and the Grand Prix du Disque Product en Bretagne 2007. 

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‍In 2022, he received a Coup de cœur award from the Charles-Cros Academy for his final recording, Les sentiers partagés (The Shared Paths). “It was a ray of sunshine in the current gloom. This national award is a benchmark," he announced at the time. He dedicated the award to his son Théo, now 31 years old (in 2025), and to his partner Kidou, who had recently passed away.  For Les sentiers partagés, his longtime collaboratorJean-Félix Lalanne and Sibéril met again two years after their duet "Back to Celtic Guitar" and ten years after "Around the Celtic Guitar" in a new configuration. Lalanne put aside his guitar to take on the role of artistic director. A Celtic solo guitar album? Not really. Lalanne wanted to give Siberil a set of prestigious guests from settings rather far removed from Celtic music. Mixing these musical universes cleverly resulted in an album with subtly brilliant colors.

‍Kudos

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‍“He was a pioneer. He set a trend; almost all guitarists play that way now!” emphasized Denez Prigent, mourning a “fellow traveler.”

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‍Jean-Félix Lalanne stated that Sibéril was "a huge guitarist, super super super composer, and  a very great melodicist.”

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‍His friend, the iconic traditional music artist Alan Stivell, described him as "a virtuoso, but one who was anything but a show-off. He was an extraordinarily humble person, with a remarkable zest for life and kindness."

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‍Interviewer Philippe Perrichon wrote: “The music of Soïg remains an unparalleled bridge between him and us… I propose to you, listen to the moment of grace that constitutes Trugarez kaat men Dous followed by Les Rideés  du Printemps. This title, which means ‘Thank God’, concludes with a dance filled with the joy from which our dear Soïg never parted for all those who, like me, had the happiness of crossing his path.”

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‍Dan Ar Braz stated, “Besides his great talent, Soïg was also incredibly friendly and so funny. Our bond was very strong, and even though we didn't necessarily see each other often, his laughter still resonates with me… This afternoon, I thought of him while drinking a little drink, because it was always the moment when he was extremely funny, he always had something stupid to tell. It is not so much quantity, but especially the quality of the exchanges that we could have, that I remember."

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‍“Don't worry about the story, that was his sentence before going on stage, to tell me not to worry," remembers Jean-Charles Guichen. I was proud to play alongside him. Soïg, this was the highlight of my career.”

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‍"We wanted to explore the single voice and his guitar," said Nolwenn Korbell, who in 2007 released Red with Sibéril . "We toured together a lot," recalls the Breton singer, “He was someone eminently human, generous, funny. He was an extraordinary being and a guitarist without equal!”

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‍Teo Sibéril wrote of his father, “Papa lived with simplicity and sincerity, guided by his love for music, the people around him and the moments shared with his loved ones. His guitar, which he never left, and his humanity marked those who had the chance to share a piece of life by his side.”

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‍Closing

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‍Thanks mainly to Soïg Sibéril, Breton music now boasts a singular tradition of acoustic guitar. In recognition of the impact he has had on Breton music, The Festival Interceltique has begun a competitive Trophée Soïg Siberil, in partnership with Maton Guitars. 

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‍His departure was greeted by some of his closest musician friends including, among others, Gilles Le Bigot, Alain Genty, Jean-Félix Lalanne, Jean-Charles Guichen, and Jamie McMenemy, with a performance of Le Halage from the Gitar album. The eulogy by his dear friend, accordionist Etienne Grandjean, moved many in the large crowd to tears.

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‍Soïg Siberil, who has influenced so many musicians, leaves behind a considerable musical heritage. But above all a talent, a smile, and a joyful humility.

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‍~ Fañch