A trumpet,
placed inside a building.
The building does not move; the trumpet does. — note for a 2023 programme, after Cornelius Cardew.
Opening
Trumpeter Clément Saunier works across the contemporary repertoire as a soloist, as principal trumpet of the Ensemble intercontemporain, and as a chamber player. He divides his time between solo concertos, chamber projects, and the trumpet section of the Ensemble intercontemporain.
His playing has been described as architectural — patient with the silence around a phrase, exact about the geometry of an attack. He works closely with composers, and a large part of his concert calendar is premieres or near-premieres: works written for him by Clara Iannotta, Philippe Manoury, Wolfgang Rihm.
Career
Born in Saint-Étienne in 1982, Saunier studied at the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique de Lyon with Pierre Dutot, then at the Hochschule für Musik in Karlsruhe with Reinhold Friedrich. He joined the Ensemble intercontemporain in 2008 and became its principal trumpet in 2013.
As a soloist he has appeared with Sinfonia Varsovia, the BBC Symphony Orchestra, RSO Wien, the SWR Symphonieorchester and the Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France. He has worked with conductors Wilson Hermanto, Susanna Mälkki, Matthias Pintscher, Marin Alsop, Pierre Bleuse, and François-Xavier Roth.
Repertoire
The repertoire moves on three axes. First, the post-war concerto literature — Zimmermann, Eötvös, Gruber, Tomasi. Second, the Stockhausen orbit: Aries and Sirius, Cantate pour la décade. Third, the chamber writing that has grown around him at the Ensemble intercontemporain — Berio's Sequenze, Maderna's Aria, and a continuing stream of new commissions.
He plays on a B♭ Bach Stradivarius 43*ML and a Yamaha Custom YTR-9335CHS C trumpet; piccolo on a Schilke P5-4. The mute choice is decided per work, not per habit.
Residencies & teaching
- 2025—
- Artist-in-residence, Festival ManiFeste, IRCAM Two programmes per year, three premieres commissioned
- 2023
- Composers' workshop, Lucerne Festival Academy Five days of readings with the LFA brass section
- 2021—
- Visiting trumpet, CNSMD de Lyon Annual masterclass; coaching with the Ensemble intercontemporain Academy
- 2019
- Composers' workshop, Royaumont Two weeks of readings of works for solo trumpet and electronics
- 2017—2019
- Associate artist, Théâtre du Châtelet Three seasons; six programmes; commissions from Iannotta and Manoury
Press
The most patient account of the Zimmermann on record — and the most haunted.
Le Monde · 2024
An architect at the trumpet. Saunier plays as if every silence held a load.
The Strad · 2023
There is no force in this playing — only a great accuracy of feeling.
Diapason · 2022
Downloads
Photos are available at print resolution. Please credit the photographer.