Clément Saunier

Clément Saunier, a graduate of the Paris Regional Conservatory (CRR) and the Paris National Conservatory of Music and Dance (CNSM), studied under Pierre Gillet, Clément Garrec, Gérard Boulanger, and Jens McManama, before furthering his training with Pierre Thibaud and Vladimir Kafelnikov. His performances in international trumpet competitions have earned him several top prizes, including at Città di Porcia (Italy), the Prague Spring, Jeju (South Korea), Théo Charlier in Brussels, Maurice André in Paris, and the Tchaikovsky Competition in Moscow.

In 2013, he joined the Ensemble intercontemporain, with which he has performed numerous solo works from the trumpet repertoire, including Requiem by Hans Werner Henze, Mysteries of the Macabre by György Ligeti, Sequenza X by Luciano Berio, Metal Extensions and Metallics by Yan Maresz, NONcerto by Richard Ayres, Doppelgänger and Evil Twin by Yann Robin, and Wild Winged One by Liza Lim, in places such as the Philharmonie de Paris, Cologne Philharmonie, Centre Pompidou, Hamburg, Tokyo, Moscow and Berlin.

His discography features solo trumpet works by Matthias Pintscher (Sonic Eclipse, Skull, Chute d’Étoiles and Shining Forth), as well as several trumpet and orchestra pieces, released on labels such as Cristal Records, Maguelone, Klarthe, and Corélia.

Clément Saunier teaches at the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique et de Danse de Lyon, while also giving masterclasses around the world.

Since 1998, he has been actively involved in various artistic and educational projects that promote the influence and development of the brass family. For example, he founded the international festivals Le Son des Cuivres in Mamers (Sarthe) and the Surgères Brass Festival (Charente-Maritime), as well as the Surgères Brass and Percussion Academy, which brings together more than 20,000 festival-goers each summer.