He spent 10 years (between 1985 and 1995) researching and collecting songs, life stories and traditional music from the older generations, in north-western France.
In 1990 he became a founding member, lead singer and multi-instrumentalist with the French traditional music band YOLE. The band toured Europe between 1990 and 2002, when they broke up at the instigation of Laurent Tixier. The band was described by specialised music press in the 90s as “a leading French traditional music ensemble”, and their CDs received several awards.
Co-founder in 1996 of the “Compagnie Outre Mesure” (dancing music of the French Renaissance), he performed with that ensemble in some of the most prestigious festivals of traditional music, such as the “Festival de Musique Baroque d'Ambronnay”, as well as in historical stately homes (Châteaux of Chambord, Amboise, Azay-le-Rideau, etc.). Their CDs received several awards.
Laurent Tixier also collaborated with artists such as Joaquin Diaz, Paco Diez, Robert Hossein, Bernard Fabre-Garrus (from the French vocal ensemble A Sei Voci); he has also been a soloist musician with philharmonic orchestras such as the Budapest Philharmonic Orchestra, the “Orchestre National des Pays de Loire”, the Lamoureux Orchestra, etc.
He has also taken part in event projects as an artistic consultant and multi-instrumentalist to Nick Glennie-Smith (Hollywood composer: Gladiator, We Are Soldiers, etc.) in the musical “Cinéscénie du Puy-du-Fou” (French theme park featuring music and historical re-enactments), for which Laurent played and recorded over 20 traditional instruments.
A concert musician, he has toured extensively in France and abroad (Belgium, Spain, Italy, Ireland, Germany, Poland, Bulgaria, Hungary, French overseas territories, etc.), and has contributed to the recording of over 40 albums.
In 2004, Laurent TIXIER became the General Co-ordinator and initiator of the “French Championships and 2nd World Championships of Artistic Fencing”, which brought together over 20 contributors, institutions as well as private partners.
In 2005, he created and organised the very first “Conservatoire National d'Escrime Ancienne” or CNEA (national school of artistic fencing), which has been resident at the Château d'Apremont since 2010. In parallel, he created a show called “Maîtres Sonneurs et Maîtres d'Armes” (bell-ringers and fencing masters) during the subsidised-theatre-funded residency in Sablé-sur-Sarthe. The show brought together the French vocal ensemble “A Sei Voci” and the CNEA.
At the same time, he has been an ongoing contributor to the museography of the “Historial de Vendée” (a French museum), as the medieval section composer and performer.
At the request of the WWF, he created a one-man show called “Le Lycanthrope” (or Werewolf) for the closing ceremony of the “Alliance pour la Planète” meeting in 2006 (French alliance of NGOs for environmental action 2006-2012). The show was broadcast the same year in two French regions: the Pays de Loire and Rhône-Alpes.
In 2007, he created the “Rencontres Internationales des solistes du Monde” (international meetings of soloists) in Spain and in France.
Laurent Tixier was the Producer and Artistic Director for the 2006 play “Les Trois Mousquetaires” (The Three Musketeers) in which a cast of over 20 professional actors was accompanied by the baroque orchestra “La Simphonie du Marais” (founded by Hugo Reyne) for a sweeping crossed-arts epic in the cloister of the Luçon cathedral (former diocese of the famous cardinal Richelieu).
He was a concert musician during the 2008 meetings of the “Chevaleries Sacrées d'Orient et d'Occident” (Freemason Knights of the East and West) at Dharma University, and is also a sponsor of the Karma Ling Eco Site (eastern France), one of the major Buddhist sites in France. In 2012 he attended the Buddhism-Freemasonry meetings in Saint Hugon (Savoie, eastern France) and published his conference seminar paper through the Rimay Nalanda University of eastern France.
In 2007 and 2008, he created a new show for the Château Royal of Blois (script, production and direction), mixing theatre, fencing and traditional music from the 16th and 17th century. “D'Ames en Lames” (“from souls to swords”) ran for 368 performances. He then wrote and produced the 2009 summer season show at the Château: “Vinaigrette et Pousse Rapière” (“salad dressing and alcohol”; “pousse rapière” is an Armagnac and orange cocktail used as a mixer for a wine-based drink).
Between 2008 and 2010, the Montrichard Fortress requested his services; the resulting show “1249 - Fées et Chevaliers” (fairies and knights) brought together nearly 120 actors for 36 evening performances. He also wrote and produced the 2008 daytime show “L'Enfant Chevalier” (the Child-Knight), followed in 2009 and 2010 by “Amaury, fils du Dragon” (the Dragon's son), with a cast of 30 professional and volunteer comedians.
Laurent TIXIER was made “Chevalier” (Knight) in the prestigious French arts and literature award “Ordre des Arts et des Lettres” in 2008.
In 2009 he took part, as a comedian, singer and musician, in the Rock Opera “Anne de Bretagne” with a cast of over 100 artists. He was one of the 12 star acts of the show, with artists such as Tri-Yann, Nilda Fernandez, Didier Squiband, Barclay James Harvest, Ange, etc.
He also worked on a series of concerts that same year, with the “Simphonie du Marais” orchestra, showcasing 17th -century French composer Delalande's Christmas music.
In 2010 he joined the “Concert d'Astrée” (a French baroque ensemble) in a series of concerts as part of the “Astrée Soloists”.
The same year he wrote and produced a new crossed-arts show: “1610 – La Taverne” (the Taverna), bringing together a cast of 27 professional artists from the Pays de Loire region, in the context of the 400th anniversary of French King Henry IV's death.
On 7 October 2011 he was awarded the Silver Medal with a Bar and Wreath in the “Universal League of Public Good” at UNESCO, in recognition of his contribution to defending culture and heritage.
During the 2010 and 2011 summer seasons at the Château Royal of Blois, he wrote and produced
the “1577” show as part of the Henry III exhibition entitled “Festivals and Crimes in the Renaissance”. He followed it up in 2012 with “Taberna”, and in 2013 with “A Double Tranchant” (Double-edged).
He was a guest on the French TV show “Des Racines et Des Ailes” (“Roots and Wings”) in 2011, for their analysis of the Duc de Guise's murder (the future King Henry IV's arch-rival, late 16th century).
From 2010 to 2012, Laurent Tixier's show (of which he was the writer and producer) “Vinaigrette et Pousse Rapière” was produced at the Château d'Apremont in Vendée during the summer season. He followed this up with the 2013 summer season show “Escrime de Lèse-majesté” (Fencing/crime of lèse-majesty), as well as initiating a new swashbuckling festival called “Prise de fer” (crossing swords), in the same historical surroundings of the Château d'Apremont. The first edition was held in August 2013.
Today he serves as Chairman of the CNEA (school of artistic fencing), who won Gold and Silver medals at the 2012 “World Championships of Artistic Fencing” in Portugal with the two teams they put forward, making them Champion and Runner-up
