Sinfonia Cymru & Lucienne Renaudin Vary bring the vibrant streets of France to William Aston Hall.

Described by Classical KDFC radio as a “trumpet sensation”, France’s Lucienne Renaudin Vary is quite a star! A Warner recording artist, she’s won prestigious awards including the ‘Révélation’ category of the ‘Victories de la Musique Classique’. She’s a regular on the big screen and travelled the world, wowing audiences and fellow musicians with her incredible talent. As if that wasn’t enough, she’s just 23 years old!

We sat down with Lucienne Renaudin Vary to find out more:

When & why did you start playing the trumpet and what makes it so special?

I started the trumpet when I was 9. I began with the piano, but I was very bad! I discovered the trumpet in a music theory class, thanks to the trumpet teachers who came in the class, and I just fell in love immediately! I loved everything, the sound, the way you hold the instrument, the fact that you can play every style of music… and they said it was the best instrument, so, I believed them!

Do you play any other instruments?

I play a little bit of guitar, just to be able to sing while accompanying myself with simple chords but that's pretty much it… and it's not brilliant haha!

You have already done amazing things! You’ve won awards, you often appear on the screen and online, and you are known as a ‘trumpet sensation’. What have been your career highlights to date?

Every concert is a highlight, it was really my dream to do what I do right now. Specifically, I won a French Victoire de la Musique and Opus, and for me, it really was a dream. I have recorded 4 albums for Warner Classics, which was also a dream! I feel very lucky that I’m living my dream as a young professional musician.

This is your first project with Sinfonia Cymru. How do you feel about working with a professional orchestra filled with musicians the same age as you?

I’m really looking forward to playing with them! It's amazing that the young generation is involved with classical music. It will be also very new for me to conduct too but I’m really looking forward to it!

For those who’ve never seen you perform, describe your style & what music you like to play.

It's not easy to describe yourself! I love many styles of music, and this is what you are going to hear during the tour. We will play Hummel Trumpet Concerto, so something very classic, and for the second part, some nice pieces that are a bit jazzy from time to time. I love to play many genres in one concert, it's very refreshing for the audience, and for the musicians, it's pleasant to switch from one style to another! That's also what I do in every CD I record, it’s great fun!

We will also play some transcriptions because the trumpet doesn't have a big repertoire, so I love to play some vocal pieces or cello pieces with the trumpet! The arrangements we're going to play have been written by an amazing American arranger, Bill Elliott, especially for me! They are really shaped for the trumpet and orchestra which is perfect for this tour!

What’s your favourite piece in the programme and why?

That's the most difficult question! I will say the Hummel Trumpet Concerto because it's the main piece of the concert and it's one of my favourite trumpet concertos. It really is a masterpiece, each time I play it I rediscover it in a different way, even though I’ve played it many, many times. I love especially the second movement, so many nice romantic moments.

This will be your first visit to Cymru - Wales! You’ll be performing in South & North Wales, have you any idea what to expect?

One of the things I love about my job is that I travel all the time, I'm very curious and I like discovering many countries and cities. The staff at Sinfonia Cymru have told me it's very green, peaceful and beautiful there, it sounds amazing, so I can't wait! To be able to see those Welsh landscapes in real life will be unforgettable! I’m also looking forward to trying some local Welsh food & drink too.

When you aren’t with performing, what else do you like to do?

Being a musician really takes a lot of time, but I like to read, I listen to music a lot – all kinds of music, some jazz singers, Shostakovich and Mahler’s symphonies. I like to do sports, cooking, spending some time with my family, and watching Netflix, and travelling! Wales here I come!

Sinfonia Cymru