“Man created art. But did he not forget that the beauty of nature came before him and that it deserves to be admired with respect and protected with care?”
Christophe Touchard. Un alto pour passeport, 2022.
For a whole year, from May 2018 to May 2019, I traveled around the world together with my viola. Carrying my instrument, which I consider to be my wonderful passport, I met hundreds of women and men. We shared moments and they transmitted to me a bit of their culture and daily life. Throughout my journey, which included 15,000 km by train, I often had the opportunity to visit some of the most sumptuous glaciers, deserts or primary forests that live on our planet.
I found myself speechless in front of all the treasures in our world. Each day, I fell a little more in love with nature. Beyond this beauty that often left me dumbstruck, this year also showed me the reality of the impact of humans on their ecosystem. We often hear about the glaciers that are melting at a tremendous speed, about the Great Barrier Reef that is dying, or about the Gobi desert that hardly receives a drop of rain anymore. There is now no doubt that the environment is undergoing an accelerated disruption, and I did not expect to observe this with such violence.
When I came back to France, I wanted to share my experience in order to make other people aware of the cultural richness of our world, but also and above all, to educate them about the protection of the environment. This journey has also allowed me to work on conferences for companies, to produce a show for children and to write a book. These are as many opportunities to deliver messages of awareness, but also hopeful messages.
Music, travel and transmission are now essential parts of my life. I plan to hit the road again soon with my viola, always going by train when I can. Then, feel free to follow me on Facebook or Instagram to discover new destinations with me.
Until then, feel free to listen to my album, to order the book, or to book a ticket for a show or a lecture. I’ll be happy to see you comfortably seated in an armchair and let yourself float away.
See you soon!