Alan Stivell (Breton for ‘gushing spring’), born January 6, 1944, is a French singer songwriter and musician. He campaigns for the recognition of the Breton people with their language, culture, and territory. He is, above all, a multi-instrumentalist: mainly Celtic harp, but also piano and keyboards, Irish flute, bombard, Scottish bagpipes and even percussion. Since the 1950s, thanks to his father’s work, Alan Stivell has been helping to revive the Celtic harp in Brittany. His musical work is linked to a struggle for the recognition of Breton and Celtic cultures. From the outset, this spirit of openness led to cultural cross-fertilization and musical fusion, making him one of the precursors of world music, which he clearly defined on his first album, Reflets, in 1970.
