Clara Cernat
Made her début at the age of 15 as a soloist with the Arad Symphonic Orchestra in Romania, followed by a quick and brilliant musical evolution that lead to winning five international prizes in France, Germany and Italy, alongside an intense CD recording and concert activity.
One of the representatives of the great Romanian violin school, Clara Cernat was a disciple of Stefan Gheorghiu at the Bucharest Music Academy, where she was awarded the highest marks in numerous disciplines including violin, chamber music, analysis, harmony, history of music, and study of folklore. She won several scholarships and she could deepen her art of violin, at the Bonn International Music Academy, Germany, winning the diploma of the special program « Europe’s greatest talents » (professor Igor Ozim), then at the Ecole Supérieure de Violon Tibor Varga in Sion, Switzerland (professor Tibor Varga).
Clara Cernat’s career took off after winning the 1st Prizes in both J.S. Bach and Città di Andria Competitions, as well as winning the 2nd Prize and the Mozart Special Prize in the Kloster Schöntal International Competition.
She is regular guest of the Romanian philharmonic orchestras, performing concertos by Tchaïkovsky, Bruch, Mendelssohn, Saint-Saëns, or Mozart. She is also much sought-after chamber music artist, both as a violinist and as a violist, being particularly recognized as a favourite performer of George Enescu’s music. Together with Thierry Huillet, pianist and her partner in life and on stage, she founded a Duet, playing worldwide and regularly recording successful CDs and DVDs, unanimously praised by the critics
CLARA CERNAT & THIERRY HUILLET – 2020
Ciocârlia : THE iconic Romanian tune, turned into a concert piece by Thierry Huillet and Clara Cernat
Clara Cernat & Thierry Huillet feature their own version of the mythical Romanian song « The Lark » (« Ciocârlia). This melody was played for the first time in 1889 at the Universal Exposition in Paris, for the inauguration of the Eiffel Tower.
It was composed by the famous Romanian musician Angheluş Dinicu. He won the Gold Medal on June 29th, 1889, at the International Minstrels Competition in Paris.
This version was composed in 2020 by Romanian violinist Clara Cernat and French pianist and composer Thierry Huillet. Clara Cernat, violin Thierry Huillet,
In May 2021, when the stages and shows are resumed, Clara Cernat will present her new musical tale project on the theme of the Kiev mandolin. An original creation set to music by the composer Thierry Huillet.
The first chapter of this tale, “La mandoline au clair de lune”, was performed on the France Musique stage with the famous French mandolinist Julien Martineau and the actress Julie Depardieu as narrator.
A musical poetry imbued with tonal colour, a dialogue between the Violin and the Machine. The Violin, an eminently human character, takes on the habit of a soul wandering through the Cosmos. The Machine, with its electronic sounds, becomes the energy field that envelops the whole.
From this fusion emerges man and his feelings towards the whole Universe which receives him.
From this union emerges Love, the only energy that will survive us.
the release of this album is scheduled for September 2021
Clara Cernat: violin & voice
Phil St George: machines