Cécile Agator began
studying violin at the age of five at the Conservatoire
d’Angers before joining the class of Suzanne Gessner at
the Conservatoire de Paris. After a first-prize win in
2000, she entered the Conservatoire de Lyon to study
with Pavel Vernikov and Matis Vaytsner, and then with
Marianne Piketty and Dominique Lonca. Recipient of the
Zonta Club music bursary and winner of the third prize
at the Lions Club International Music Competition, she
also gleaned first prize at the 2003 Concours
international d’Avignon. In 2005, she was voted
“Classical Discovery of the Year” by ADAMI, the society
administering the rights of performing artists and
musicians. Cécile Agator has played at numerous
festivals and performed in recital, as a chamber
musician as well as a soloist, with the Orchestre
Lyrique de Région Avignon-Provence, the Valentiana
Orchestra and the Orchestre du CNSM in Lyon, among
others.
France
Born November 20, 1982
SEMI-FINALS
JOHANN SEBASTIAN BACH Sonata No. 2 for solo violin, in A
minor
BWV 1003
MAURICE RAVEL Sonata in G major
SCOTT GOOD And dreams rush forth to greet the distance
HENRYK WIENIASKI Variations on an original theme
NICCOLÒ PAGANINI Caprice Op. 1 No. 2 in B minor
FINALS
LUDWIG VAN BEETHOVEN Concerto in D major, Op. 61
ADDITIONAL INFO
1- What do you like most about music? (Why did you
decide to become a violinist?)
I discovered the violin in kindergarten when I was four
years old. One day, the members of a string quartet came
to our class to show their instruments, and, although I
was really shy, I went up to touch the violin that
fascinated me so much. I decided then, at four, that I
would become a violinist, and haven’t lost my passion
for the violin since.
For me, making music is a wonderful way of communicating.
I love being in front of an audience, sharing my
emotions and my personality with people. And when the
public is receptive and understands the message I am
trying to convey, there is nothing more magical than
that. It’s for precious moments like these that I’ve
been playing the violin for 17 years.
2- Which composers or what works are you particularly
drawn to? (What music would you bring with you to a
desert island?)
I enjoy many composers, but the one that I couldn’t live
without is Mozart, by a mile. But I also love Bach,
Beethoven (piano concertos), Schubert (Two-Cello
Quintet), Brahms (symphonies, piano quartets),
Rachmaninov, Tchaikovsky, Ravel (Piano Concerto in G
major)… and many more. It’s hard to choose because I
find that each of these composers left a mark on his age,
contributing to the immense richness of the repertoire.
But if I had to narrow my choice to 2 or 3 CDs, I would
bring: Mozart, Bach, Brahms and Ravel.
3- What was your most intense musical moment
(positive or negative)?
My most intense musical moment was playing Tchaikovsky’s
Violin Concerto with a French orchestra at the gala
concert of an international competition. I felt
completely carried by the orchestra and felt that I was
able to give great pleasure to those who had come to
hear me play. I’d love to experience that again.
4- Do you have any hobbies or is there anything else
you would like to reveal about yourself?
I really enjoy discovering this planet on which we live;
I try to travel whenever I have some time. My travels
allow me to discover different cultures, new horizons
and other music as well! So, I’m delighted to be able to
discover Montreal, a city I don’t know at all.
Other than that, I enjoy sports. I admire the mental
preparation top athletes go through before a competition
and try to use that as inspiration for my music.
