Jean SAUTEREAU
Viola player

Jean received a grant to help him purchase a bow for his viola.

What is your artistic background ?
I started playing the viola at the age of eight. It was a real passion that has never left me. Everything followed quickly and, a few years later, I won a first prize at the national competition in Lempdes. This was followed by numerous prizes, which gave me confidence. This recognition and the successes at the Regional Conservatory of Boulogne Billancourt and then at the National Superior Conservatory of Paris were key elements in the desire to live from my passion. I have the chance to evolve with great musicians, to meet outstanding personalities during chamber music concerts, as was the case during festivals such as the Sommets Musicaux de Gstaat (Renaud Capucon), or the festival of Aix-en-Provence, Les Folles Journées etc... My job leads me to live more and more varied experiences, I was able to play under the direction of Emmanuel Krivine in Europe alongside members of the Berliner Philharmoniker, the Wiener Philharmoniker and the soloists of the Metropolitan Opera, or to share the stage with the Wanderer trio, and then the following week to play the solo part in Mozart's Concertante with the Orchestre de l'Alliance. I am passionate about my job, and it never ceases to amaze me because of the flexibility and versatility it entails. My vocation as a musician is not limited to the simple pleasure of being an instrumentalist but encompasses all the facets of being an artist.

How do you see your profession today ?
As a violist, I feel that being a musician is more accessible today than it was fifty years ago. Classical music is constantly striving to be accessible to all and this creates a new challenge with more professionals in the workplace. Musicians of the 21st century are increasingly versatile, between orchestral, chamber and solo work; they like to vary the styles of repertoire and formations. This has the advantage of bringing a lot of freshness and enthusiasm! For several years now, numerous mediation initiatives have been launched, which allow us to reach a wider audience. Music is about memory, and we try to reach out to young people more and more so that they can have the widest range of music in their DNA. This allows them to put down roots to go further! In short, being a musician is a lot of work, will and passion!

How do you see yourself in 5 years ? in 10 years ?
In 5-10 years, I dream of being even more passionate about my job, enriched by many musical experiences and human encounters. Probably based in or near a European capital city, to combine my love of peace and nature with the cultural appeal of big cities. I see myself being mobile and more flexible, to enable my concerts as a soloist or in chamber music. I would like to continue to pass on my knowledge through masterclasses for young musicians who wish to make a career out of it, or I would like to give concerts for committed associations. I see myself as always being enterprising and flexible, with the pleasure of the inventiveness, constantly renewed, that my professional life offers me.

Interview conducted in 2021
Photography credit: Julia Grandperret