A (not so) small baroque enterprise

Four hands, two voices, one communal drive: Mathilde Étienne and Emiliano Gonzalez Toro, founders of Gemelli Factory, reinvent their craft as both artists and artisans.

Emiliano Gonzalez Toro & Mathilde Etienne © Gemelli Factory

Both are singers, partners in life, and based near Perpignan. Under the name Gemelli Factory, they founded their own ensemble and record label, produce CD-book sets, and keep their creative plate full. A (not so) small baroque venture, powered by a duo. A conversation with Mathilde Etienne and Emiliano Gonzalez Toro.

Two artists, a thousand paths

Mathilde Etienne: Me, a singer? That’s a question I’ve never been able to answer clearly. But yes, that’s what I do. It’s hard to summarize, because I’ve never really fitted into a box. I studied literature, theatre and music all at once. I don’t come from a family of musicians, but I’ve always had a deep connection with singing—an artisanal, very feminine kind of link. At 18, at the Conservatoire of Liège in Belgium, I discovered Monteverdi. It was a shock, instant and powerful. And because I was doing both theatre and music, I was asked to perform Il pianto della Madonna, a piece conceived for an actress. That’s when I realized music and theatre were inseparable for me. Since then, I’ve been trying to bring everything together: voice, words, acting, image… I move forward through hybridizations.

Emiliano Gonzalez Toro: For me, it’s simpler: I’m a singer. Self-taught—not in everything, but in quite a few things. I used to play the oboe, I did salsa, I worked as a DJ, I produced records. Everything I do, I learn by doing, driven by curiosity. And I always see things through. I’m a bit obsessive: I explore, I master, then I move on. That’s what Mathilde and I share: we like doing everything ourselves, from the sound to the final product. And in early music, now that historically informed performance has been around for sixty years, we’re trying to bring a fresh perspective. We are the third or fourth baroque generation after the pioneers of the 20th century—it’s our turn to redraw the outlines.

A meeting in Spain

E. G. T.: We met in Cuenca, Spain, in 2005. I had just come back from a holiday in Cuba, during my DJ days. As I landed in Madrid, I got a phone call: “You have to get to Cuenca now. The tenor for tomorrow’s performance of Monteverdi’s Vespers is sick.” I arrived mid-rehearsal. They were finishing the Magnificat, and I had to jump in for the Gloria. Among the singers was Mathilde.