{"id":7186,"date":"2026-03-04T16:00:07","date_gmt":"2026-03-04T16:00:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/fondationfranceasie.org\/?p=7186"},"modified":"2026-03-25T14:08:14","modified_gmt":"2026-03-25T14:08:14","slug":"clara-germont-concert-cellist-young-leader-france-china-2025","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/fondationfranceasie.org\/en\/clara-germont-concert-cellist-young-leader-france-china-2025\/","title":{"rendered":"Clara Germont, concert cellist, Young Leader France-China 2025."},"content":{"rendered":"
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By Interview by Thomas Mulhaupt & Agathe Gravi\u00e8re<\/p>\n

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<\/div>\n
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Fondation France-Asie: Clara Germont, you are a\u00a0 concert cellist and you began your musical training\u00a0 at the age of seven at the Conservatoire of Aulnay sous-Bois. How did music enter your life so early?\u00a0 What was your first gateway into this world?\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

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Clara Germont:\u00a0<\/b>I am the youngest of several\u00a0 siblings. My parents wanted their children to be\u00a0 introduced to music. My mother regularly took\u00a0 me along to my older siblings\u2019 music lessons.\u00a0 That is how the cello teacher noticed me. I was a\u00a0 well-behaved little girl and I kept telling my\u00a0 parents that I wanted to play the \u201cviolin-sky\u201d (a\u00a0 child\u2019s mispronunciation of \u201cvioloncelle\u201d). When I\u00a0 was old enough, I began my musical training\u00a0 and I have never stopped since, despite the\u00a0 difficulties that can mark such a path.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Music is a demanding environment. It is not only\u00a0 about practicing one\u2019s instrument, but also\u00a0 about music theory, orchestra, chamber music,\u00a0 and music history. At the same time, I was\u00a0 practicing classical dance at a high level. I had\u00a0 to make a choice around the age of 13 and\u00a0 decided to devote myself fully to music. It was\u00a0 an early decision, but as in high-level sport,\u00a0 training must begin early to acquire the\u00a0 necessary dexterity. I therefore continued my\u00a0 schooling with an adapted timetable.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The choice of the cello came through this\u00a0 singular human connection with my first\u00a0 teacher. But the defining moment in my interest\u00a0 in the instrument was a cello concert at the\u00a0 Th\u00e9\u00e2tre des Champs-\u00c9lys\u00e9es where Yo-Yo Ma\u00a0 performed Bach\u2019s Suites. That concert gave me\u00a0 a deep desire to follow this path. Within my\u00a0 family, we all received musical training, but I am\u00a0 ultimately the only one who made it my\u00a0 profession; my brothers and sisters chose other\u00a0 paths.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

My musical journey began in this way. Then,\u00a0 after several years of training, it is customary to\u00a0 leave one\u2019s first teacher to discover other\u00a0 approaches, other methods and other\u00a0 conservatories. At 15, I joined the class of Philippe\u00a0 Muller, one of the great masters of the cello in\u00a0 France, who has trained some of the most\u00a0 brilliant musicians. After the Paris regional\u00a0 conservatory, I went to Switzerland to study for\u00a0 my bachelor\u2019s degree, before returning to Paris\u00a0 to the \u00c9cole Normale Sup\u00e9rieure de Musique.\u00a0 There, I completed a three-year advanced cycle\u00a0 under Professor Henri Demarquette.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

What were the key moments or decisive choices in\u00a0 your musical journey? Is there an encounter, a\u00a0\u00a0<\/b>person or an event that profoundly influenced your\u00a0 trajectory?\u00a0\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Meeting Philippe Muller was a true catalyst in my\u00a0 quest for excellence. At 15, working with a\u00a0 teacher who had trained some of the greatest\u00a0 French and international cellists immediately\u00a0 creates a high level of expectation. His\u00a0 standards, his rigor, his approach to sound and\u00a0 interpretation deeply marked me. It pushed me\u00a0 to aim higher.<\/p>\n

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Moreover, the difficulties and trials I have faced\u00a0 have played an essential role in shaping me.\u00a0 They have nourished my determination and\u00a0 strengthened my capacity for self-questioning.<\/p>\n

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Each setback forced me to refine my work,\u00a0 clarify my musical identity and develop greater\u00a0 inner strength. I sincerely believe that such\u00a0 moments are structuring: they do not weaken a\u00a0 trajectory, they shape it.<\/p>\n

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You develop a plural artistic universe, combining\u00a0 chamber music, solo projects, more contemporary\u00a0 inspirations, the creation of a label and the\u00a0 organization of festivals. How do you choose these\u00a0 different projects and where do these multiple\u00a0 inspirations originate?\u00a0\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n

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My albums and various projects were first born\u00a0 out of a form of frustration: I wanted to propose\u00a0 my own vision of the concert, an experience that\u00a0 could reach everyone, including young\u00a0 audiences, and that would allow for greater\u00a0 inclusion of the public.<\/p>\n

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In order to practice the cello in my own way, I\u00a0 chose to organize my own concerts and to\u00a0 develop a festival, the Festival des Cours\u00a0 parisiennes. It was born in the midst of the\u00a0 Covid-19 pandemic: I was playing with the\u00a0 windows open in my Paris apartment when one\u00a0 day neighbors knocked on my door to thank me\u00a0 for accompanying the lockdown with my music.\u00a0 They suggested organizing a concert in the\u00a0 building\u2019s courtyard.<\/p>\n

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This initiative was a genuine opportunity and\u00a0 gave birth to the festival, with the desire to bring\u00a0 music into unexpected places closer to the\u00a0 audience.<\/p>\n

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The creation of a label stemmed from the same\u00a0 impulse: to offer formats different from\u00a0 traditional classical music, more in line with my\u00a0 artistic vision. More recently, I also launched a\u00a0 concert season in the south of France, Les\u00a0 Concerts de l\u2019Heure Dor\u00e9e.<\/p>\n

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The very first concert of the Festival des Cours\u00a0 parisiennes remains a very strong memory. I\u00a0 was responsible both for production and\u00a0 performance. That experience deeply marked\u00a0 me and gave me the momentum to continue\u00a0 producing and developing my own musical\u00a0 projects.<\/p>\n

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You are at once a producer, musician, composer\u00a0 and, in certain respects, an entrepreneur. How do\u00a0 you manage to balance these different\u00a0 responsibilities? Do you operate through\u00a0 segmentation, or through constant back-and-forth\u00a0 between these roles?\u00a0\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n

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Until recently, all this remained rather blurred\u00a0 and sometimes difficult to manage. Today, on\u00a0 the contrary, I try to segment my time very\u00a0 clearly, because without this organization it\u00a0 would be impossible to handle everything at\u00a0 once. Composition requires a very particular\u00a0 state of mind, completely different from daily\u00a0 instrumental practice. Nothing must interfere\u00a0 with that moment.<\/p>\n

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I even took a break of several months before\u00a0 immersing myself again in writing my next\u00a0 album, scheduled for release before the\u00a0 summer. I am currently finalizing several pieces\u00a0 that I wish to include. I now devote two or three\u00a0 mornings per week to production, alongside my\u00a0 associate. The rest of the time is dedicated to\u00a0 composition. This segmentation allows me to\u00a0 preserve distinct mental spaces and to find a\u00a0 more effective balance in my work.<\/p>\n

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As a composer, what is your creative process? How\u00a0 do you enter that particular state where inspiration\u00a0 takes shape and notes come to life on paper?\u00a0\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

I discovered my creative process on my own.\u00a0 During my training, I did not really learn to write,\u00a0 nor to detach myself from the highly structured\u00a0 frameworks that are transmitted to us. Yet every\u00a0 musician possesses, through their training, the\u00a0 necessary tools to compose.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

What most often holds one back is a lack of\u00a0 confidence and difficulty in letting go. To\u00a0 overcome this, I began by improvising, simply to\u00a0 search for melodies. A few years ago, certain\u00a0 ideas emerged almost naturally in this way, and\u00a0 this is still how I work today.<\/p>\n

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Concretely, I take my cello and improvise. A\u00a0 melodic line emerges. Then comes the writing\u00a0 stage: I transcribe the melody, orchestrate it for\u00a0 several instruments, build the harmony,\u00a0 establish verticality within the chords.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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For me, composition is always born of a\u00a0 spontaneous gesture: improvisation is the\u00a0 starting point, writing is its structured extension.<\/p>\n

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Are you able to describe the mental state you are in\u00a0 when you compose or improvise? Improvisation is\u00a0 often associated with an intense state of\u00a0 concentration, like a bubble. Is that how you\u00a0 experience it?\u00a0\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Exactly. I am incapable of composing in the city.\u00a0 It is not a deliberate choice, but inspiration\u00a0 comes to me when I am isolated. Nature, in\u00a0 particular, deeply inspires me. In the very first\u00a0 piece I composed, Pantai, which means \u201cdream\u201d\u00a0 in Proven\u00e7al, I sought to reproduce the wind in\u00a0 the trees, the movement of air, the presence of\u00a0 birds.<\/p>\n

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Nature is a major source of inspiration for\u00a0 many composers, and it is just as much so\u00a0 for me.<\/p>\n

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To create, I need that bubble of calm and\u00a0 silence. It is in that environment, in contact with\u00a0 nature, that I am able to fully enter into writing.<\/p>\n

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Nature seems to occupy a central place in your\u00a0 music. During the Young Leaders France-China\u00a0 2025 seminar, you notably performed one of your\u00a0 compositions at the Ch\u00e2teau d\u2019If, echoing this\u00a0 place isolated by sea and wind. You also regularly\u00a0 accompany museum visits on the cello, notably as\u00a0 part of the exhibition Voir la mer at the Maif Social\u00a0 Club. Could you tell us about your relationship with\u00a0 nature and how you seek to integrate it into your\u00a0 music?\u00a0\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

It probably stems from a desire for unity, from a\u00a0 wish to become one with nature. I feel\u00a0 particularly at ease when I play outdoors. That is\u00a0 why most of the concerts I organize take place\u00a0 outside. There is something fascinating about\u00a0 the unpredictability this implies: birds, wind, the\u00a0 sea, the elements add themselves to the\u00a0 original composition and give it an additional\u00a0 dimension. This interaction with the environment\u00a0 fully forms part of the musical experience.<\/p>\n

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It is also the spirit of the exhibition Voir la mer,\u00a0 with which I collaborate: bringing nature and its\u00a0 elements back into the heart of the city. For my\u00a0 next album, I would like to capture sounds from\u00a0 nature and integrate them directly into certain\u00a0 pieces.<\/p>\n

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You toured China in 2025 and another tour is\u00a0 planned for June and July 2026. How did you\u00a0 perceive the reception of Chinese audiences\u00a0 compared with other international audiences? Did\u00a0<\/b>this experience change your approach to certain\u00a0 works or your relationship to the stage?\u00a0\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Yes, absolutely. Three weeks on tour in China,\u00a0 with twelve concerts from Shanghai to\u00a0 Shenzhen, were a wonderful discovery. At the\u00a0 very first concert in Shanghai, in a magnificent\u00a0 hall before nearly 1,500 people, the audience\u00a0 applauded rather briefly at the end. I was initially\u00a0 surprised, almost worried, wondering whether\u00a0 they had truly appreciated our performance.\u00a0 Then, during the signing session, the audience\u00a0 crowded in large numbers to speak with us. I\u00a0 understood that the expression of enthusiasm\u00a0 was simply different from that of French\u00a0 audiences, who often applaud at length but do\u00a0 not always extend the moment afterward.<\/p>\n

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This cultural difference marked me deeply, and I\u00a0 particularly appreciated the quality of the\u00a0 exchanges after the performances. There were\u00a0 also nuances from one city to another. This tour\u00a0 was a profound enrichment.<\/p>\n

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I have also had the opportunity to perform in\u00a0 Dubai, Scandinavia and Mexico. Each time, I was\u00a0 struck by listening traditions, codes and the way\u00a0 audiences express their attention. Everywhere, I\u00a0 felt great respect for musicians, but expressed\u00a0 according to very different sensibilities.<\/p>\n

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Which concert marked you the most in these\u00a0 experiences?\u00a0\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

I enjoy performing in France because there is\u00a0 often someone I know in the audience. Abroad,\u00a0 this is not the case, but it sometimes leads me\u00a0 to choose one person in the hall and tell myself\u00a0 that, that evening, I am playing for them.<\/p>\n

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It creates a particular, even silent, bond. The\u00a0 concert that marked me most remains\u00a0 undoubtedly the first one we gave in China, in\u00a0 Shanghai. It was a major first, in a magnificent\u00a0 hall, in a country I was very eager to discover.\u00a0 The moment was both solemn and deeply\u00a0 moving. Another very strong memory is the\u00a0 release concert for my latest album, Bleu Nuit. I\u00a0 was particularly emotional, as it marked the\u00a0 culmination of a project that meant a great deal\u00a0 to me.<\/p>\n

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Looking ahead to 2026, what are your projects?\u00a0\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

I am currently working very intensively on\u00a0 completing my first solo album. My last record\u00a0 was a duo with violinist Florestan Ra\u00ebs ; this time,\u00a0 I will carry the album alone and, for the first time,\u00a0 it will bring together my own compositions. Its\u00a0 release will be followed by a tour in China of\u00a0 around twenty-five concerts, in a four-musician\u00a0chamber music formation combining classical\u00a0 repertoire and film music. In summer 2026, I will\u00a0 also continue developing the festival I organize,\u00a0 before going back on tour, notably in\u00a0 Scandinavia.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Through your activities as producer<\/b>, composer and\u00a0 musician, how do you assume your role as a leader\u00a0 in a very demanding musical environment?\u00a0\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

At first, I had many doubts. I partly chose to step\u00a0 outside the traditional system in order not to be\u00a0 confined within certain expectations. The\u00a0 environment in which I was trained does not\u00a0 always encourage musicians to produce their\u00a0 own projects\u2014and even less so women\u00a0 musicians.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

I accepted fairly early on that any work would be\u00a0 criticized. And ultimately, if people talk about it,\u00a0 even critically, it means it exists. That helped me\u00a0 gain distance. Moving slightly away from a more\u00a0 academic framework does not mean rejecting\u00a0 it, since that is how I acquired my skills. But I\u00a0 needed another space in which to develop my\u00a0 vision. My choice to live in the South is also part\u00a0 of this approach. That breathing space allows\u00a0 me to take distance and perform better.<\/p>\n

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I am not sure I was \u201cborn a leader,\u201d but I have\u00a0 always wanted to defend my vision. I learn every\u00a0 day to delegate and to lead in a healthy way. In\u00a0 reality, music initiates us very early into leadership\u00a0 dynamics. The orchestra is structured by a precise\u00a0 hierarchy. From childhood, I aspired to be principal\u00a0 cellist. Even today, I know what I wish to carry\u00a0 artistically and I am ready to defend it, while\u00a0 keeping in mind that collective balance remains\u00a0 essential for a project to function.<\/p>\n

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What does being a \u201cYoung Leader\u201d mean to you\u00a0 today? What do you take away from your\u00a0 experience within the Young Leaders program of\u00a0 the Fondation France-Asie, whose second session\u00a0 will soon be held in China?\u00a0\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

I found this experience particularly enriching. It\u00a0 allowed me to exchange with people from\u00a0 backgrounds different from my own, who have a\u00a0 concrete perspective on project management,\u00a0 business development or the structuring of an\u00a0 activity. These exchanges nourished me greatly.\u00a0 The organization of the program strongly\u00a0 encouraged dialogue, and I was able to speak\u00a0 with all participants. I was then in the midst of\u00a0 preparing my festival, which made these\u00a0 discussions all the more inspiring. One often\u00a0 hears that culture cannot generate a viable\u00a0 economic model.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Yet I am convinced that there are ways to\u00a0 imagine solid artistic projects with a possible\u00a0 financial balance. This experience also helped\u00a0 evolve my vision, sometimes still very academic,\u00a0 of things. It encouraged me to think differently\u00a0 about the articulation between artistic exigency\u00a0 and project viability. I made very meaningful\u00a0 encounters and I look forward with great\u00a0 enthusiasm to the continuation of the program.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

On the eve of this tour in China, do you wish to\u00a0 pursue and develop your musical work in Asia in\u00a0 the years to come?\u00a0\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Yes, absolutely. I would very much like to\u00a0 strengthen these ties and anchor my work over\u00a0 the long term in Asia. I am also considering\u00a0 surrounding myself more locally. The idea would\u00a0 be to create genuine artistic bridges with\u00a0 different Asian countries and to deploy my\u00a0 projects there over the long term.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Which piece from your album Bleu Nuit would you\u00a0 recommend listening to while reading this\u00a0 interview?\u00a0\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Since we have spoken at length about nature, I\u00a0 would recommend listening to Morgen by\u00a0 Richard Strauss, included on the album Bleu\u00a0 Nuit. It is a piece that resonates particularly with\u00a0 this universe. Perhaps also Soir by Mel Bonis, a\u00a0 French composer whom I greatly admire.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

*****<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Clara Germont is a French concert cellist and entrepreneur whose career is already remarkable. Trained at the\u00a0 Conservatoire de Paris, the Hochschule in Bern, and the \u00c9cole Normale de Musique de Paris, she studied under\u00a0 great masters such as Philippe Muller and Henri Demarquette. A prizewinner in several international competitions,\u00a0 she has performed on numerous stages in France and abroad. At the age of 22, she founded the Festival des\u00a0 Cours parisiennes, before co-founding the label Nouvelle Vague Records in 2024. In 2025, she released her first\u00a0 album, Bleu Nuit, acclaimed by both audiences and critics, which quickly surpassed one million streams. This\u00a0 recording, both sensitive and immersive, reflects her singular artistic universe, nourished by nature, sonic poetry,\u00a0 and the dialogue between classical repertoire and contemporary inspirations. Clara Germont also directs the\u00a0 ensemble S\u00c9L\u00c9N\u00c9, which she created to explore a repertoire ranging from Vivaldi to contemporary creation.\u00a0 Curious and committed, she develops cross-disciplinary projects combining music, heritage, wine, and\u00a0 gastronomy, and has published an essay devoted to the role of art during the First World War. Between stage\u00a0 performance, creation, and production, she embodies a new generation of artists\u2014free, bold, and fully anchored\u00a0 in their time.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

This publication reflects the views and opinions of the individual authors. As a platform dedicated to the sharing of information and ideas, our objective is to highlight a diversity of perspectives. Accordingly, the opinions expressed herein should not be interpreted as those of the Fondation France-Asie or its affiliates.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Interview by Thomas Mulhaupt & Agathe Gravi\u00e8re   Fondation France-Asie: Clara Germont, you are a\u00a0 concert cellist and you began your musical training\u00a0 at the age of seven at the Conservatoire of Aulnay sous-Bois. How did music enter your life so early?\u00a0 What was your first gateway into this […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":6963,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"episode_type":"","audio_file":"","cover_image":"","cover_image_id":"","duration":"","filesize":"","date_recorded":"","explicit":"","block":"","filesize_raw":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[118],"tags":[],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/fondationfranceasie.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7186"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/fondationfranceasie.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/fondationfranceasie.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fondationfranceasie.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fondationfranceasie.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7186"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/fondationfranceasie.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7186\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7223,"href":"https:\/\/fondationfranceasie.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7186\/revisions\/7223"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fondationfranceasie.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/6963"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/fondationfranceasie.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7186"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fondationfranceasie.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7186"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fondationfranceasie.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7186"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}