From France to the World: A Pianist’s Journey Through Music

Not many musicians can say they have played a concert from the summit of a mountain, but Marco Poingt M.M. ’21 is a different kind of musician. 

Seeking a unique way to launch his new project, "A Journey Without Borders," Poingt recently scaled Vignemale, a French peak, with an electric piano on his back. 

At an elevation of 10,820 feet, surrounded by gleaming white snow and the jagged peaks of the Pyrenees, he played a short gig, captured on video. The event garnered significant attention, with Poingt’s exploits appearing on the news and even as a topic on a popular TV quiz show.

This type of ambitious, bigger-picture thinking typifies Poingt’s approach to music and art. “Music has no barrier or borders, only bridges and walkways that we traverse to move from one color to another, from one universe to another,” he says of his new project.

"A Journey Without Borders," which began in 2023, has brought Poingt to new countries, where he has tapped into different cultures and musical influences. During a recent two-month stint in Brazil, he joined forces with Brazilian harmonica player Pablo Fagundes to record the album Harmonia, a dynamic celebration of Brazilian and French music. “The idea was to record an album and, after, tour with the project. We did almost 40 gigs in Brazil. We played almost every day,” he says.

While Poingt’s schedule might sound exhausting to some, it comes naturally to him. Poingt was born into music. His father, a piano teacher, ran a small venue in the South of France, and Poingt would regularly join him on stage to play. Since then, his passion has grown, and he loves to play live at every opportunity.

As a musician, Poingt has earned a reputation as a special talent, his ability to mesh styles—notably classical music, jazz, and Latin American genres—captivating live audiences from Europe to Brazil. His latest album, INTUITION, released in 2023, is a testament to the pianist’s creative ability.

In 2020, he enrolled in the contemporary performance (production concentration) program at Berklee Valencia. His time at Berklee proved transformative, both musically and personally. Before Berklee, Poingt had established himself as a respected live musician. However, he felt that he lacked the leadership skills to develop his projects in the way he wanted. At Berklee, he overcame this. 

Already an established live musician and composer, Poingt enrolled with the goal of forming a jazz trio with which he could control all aspects of the group’s direction. During his year at Berklee, he learned how to manage a group, organize recording sessions, and plan tours.

Alongside his leadership skills, Poingt had to develop another skill, this one much more challenging: the art of saying no. 

With so many talented musicians in one place, the opportunity to get involved with multiple projects was a joy for Poingt. However, he soon understood that he must be selective to achieve his goals. For a musician naturally inclined to play when the opportunity presents itself, this was perhaps the biggest challenge he faced at Berklee.

Poingt chose his projects carefully and collaborated with a number of fellow students, such as ​​Carolina Alabau, Brandon Atwell, and Predrinho Augusto. As a result, he forged long-lasting relationships, and he still plays with many of his classmates today. 

In addition to maintaining his touring schedule and writing and recording new music, Poingt plans to use the leadership skills he acquired at Berklee for his most ambitious project to date. Along with his brother, the young pianist wants to create a space where people from all over the world—many of whom he has met on his travels—can record music without the pressure typically associated with commercial studios.

“I think the secret of good music-making is to be comfortable first and not under pressure. But often, the pressure in the studio is crazy.”

He already has a studio in the South of France; the next step is to set up a company that will help arrange visas for international artists and organize tour dates to support the recordings.

In the meantime, Poingt already has plans to return to Latin America, a continent that has captured his imagination and his heart, to continue his “A Journey Without Borders" project. “I love the culture. I love the music. I love the people. I feel a deep connection with it,” he says.