Marc Pittorru, the voice of Corsica's soul
Marcu, a voci de l'anima corsa
Born in Sartène, where the stone still resonates with polyphonic voices, Marc discovered his vocation at an early age. At just ten years old, he sang his first songs in church, before later joining Jean-Paul Poletti's prestigious choir, then the Sartène Men's Choir, one of the most respected ambassadors of Corsican song. His well-built voice, with its clear, deep timbre, captivates with its accuracy and sincere emotion - a voice you just can't get enough of.
He then pursued his musical adventure with Canta u Populu Corsu, an emblematic group that gave international visibility to island polyphony.
In 1997, Marc moved to L'Alba, formerly La Taverne du Roi, in Porto-Vecchio, where he would thrill generations of listeners until 2024, with evenings that have become legendary. A humble, hard-working man, he embodies both simplicity and depth. Very attached to his culture and respect for his elders, he believes that "singing needs to be worked on every day, but pleasure must always be at the heart of it".
Today, Marc is committed to the transmission of Corsican vocal heritage: as a member of the L'Andaghjina di l'Artisti training program in Sartène, he supervises a dozen students engaged in a two-year professionalization cycle.
And to meet him, all you have to do is let yourself be carried away by the gentle summer evenings: every Wednesday evening, his voice, accompanied by his group Alba in Scena, resonates at the Parad'Isula restaurant, in the bay of Santa Giulia in Porto-Vecchio, a suspended moment where Corsica is told in music.
- What is your very first memory of a song?
My father sang very well, even though he never gave a concert. We often sang together at home.
- How did music come into your life?
I grew up with music. As a choirboy in Sartène, I sang mass every week. That's where I learned to listen, breathe and sing.
- What were your musical influences, masters or models?
The group I Surghjenti rocked my whole childhood, and it's certainly thanks to them that I started singing.
- Are you heir to a lineage where singing is a family affair?
Yes, without a doubt. My sister sings, and so do several of my cousins. Jean-François Marras, a tenor at the Paris Opera, and another cousin who sings at La Scala in Milan, share the same passion. Singing is part of our family heritage.
- Singer and composer?
I compose music to lyrics that move me. S'hè spintu u celi was born on the evening of the Bataclan attacks, to a text by Don-Mathieu Santini. It's a deeply human song, written from the heart.
- Which song is the most intimate for you, the one that really says who you are?
Rivecu, by the group I Muvrini: it's addressed to a loved one, an intimate person. I used to sing it at the top of my lungs with my father.
- What do you want the audience to feel after a concert or listening session?
Silence... the silence that sets in when the song touches the heart. That suspended moment, when no one speaks, is the most beautiful of thanks.
- Where do you go in Corsica to recharge your batteries?
Balagne, and more specifically Île-Rousse. It's a region I love deeply, where you can still feel the village spirit and the strength of tradition. It's a great place to live.
- What do you do when you're not working?
I enjoy fishing, playing pétanque and belotte, and above all spending time with my family.
- If you hadn't been a singer, what other path would you have followed?
I was preparing my Corsican language degree and was destined to become a Corsican teacher when I stopped everything to devote myself entirely to singing.
- How do you feel in the seconds before you go on stage?
Stress, but the right kind of stress, the kind that allows you to give your best.
- Is there a particular concert, scene or moment that stands out?
Yes, several. Singing in front of 6,000 people with Canta u Populu Corsu is still impressive. But the Olympia was a special moment: the audience is so close, so attentive... It was a charity concert for the association Premiers de cordée.
- What would you like younger generations to hear in your songs?
The work I've done to pay tribute to song.
- What Corsican word best sums up your philosophy of life?
Tramandà - to pass on