David Guerrier

French trumpeter David Guerrier had already won First Prize in the trumpet category and a Special Prize in the Munich ARD International Music Competition (see ITG Journal, March 2003, and the ITG News story linked below), becoming the first trumpeter to win First Prize in Munich since Maurice André won it forty years ago. In an interview, André says, "It is necessary that sun shines also for young trumpeters, especially France's David Guerrier: a genius of the instrument. He is sensational. I really hope that the public will adopt him." (Diapason, 508, November 2003, p. 63)

Moreover, after having won the First Young Concert Artists (YCA) European Auditions in Paris in October 2002, he won the 2003 YCA International Auditions in New York. YCA is a professional organization founded in 1961 which aims to discover, promote, and launch a US career for young and talented musicians all around the world, through annual auditions. "The participants are competing against a standard of excellence - not each other. There is no limit to the number of artists chosen. The only criteria are extraordinary talent, technique, and impact upon the listener" (YCA website).

Guerrier was engaged to play at the Kennedy Center in Washington on February 22, 2004 in the Alexander Kasza-Kasser Prize Concert (performing works by Hindemith, Böhme, Escaich, Stevens, and Bernstein) and then on April 13, 2004 in the Young Concert Artists Series at the 92nd Street Y in the Katharine J. Rayner Prize Concert (performing works by Viviani, Neruda, Albinoni, Stravinsky, Escaich, Glazounov, and Böhme). Trumpeter Stephen Burns, who some years ago won the YCA Auditions, joined David Guerrier in New York as a Guest Artist, performing Albinoni's Concerto for Two Trumpets and Stravinsky's Fanfare. More information is available on the YCA website.

David Guerrier was then invited to play with Canadian organist Vincent Boucher in Canada by Alliance Française au Canada in Montreal, Ottawa, Toronto, Calgary, and Vancouver, in February and March 2004 in a Declic program from the Association Française d'Action Artistique.

Almost incredibly, Guerrier added another prize to his collection this Spring, just before leaving France for the North American tour described above. On 11th February Guerrier was awarded Instrumental Soloist by the professional jury of Victoires de la Musique 2004 in Lille. The jury numbered two hundred qualified people with musical knowledge, among them 40% practising musicians (instrumentalists, singers, composers, conductors). This award is seen as an achievement for this young musician and very good news for promoting the trumpet as a solo instrument to a larger audience.

David Guerrier was born in 1984. He studied trumpet first with Serge Vivares in Pierrelatte (France) from 1991 to 1997, and then with Pierre Dutot at the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique in Lyon. In 2003, he studied with Hans Gansch in Salzburg in an Erasmus program. Since the age of thirteen, David Guerrier has won first prizes in one international trumpet competition after another: Markneukirchen (1998), Porcia (1999), Maurice André in Paris (2000), and the ITG solo competition in New York (2000). His talent has been recognized and acknowledged by Guy Touvron, Eric Aubier, Roger Delmotte, John Miller, and many others. He performed solo recitals at ITG Conferences in 2001 in Evansville and 2002 in Manchester.

Website:
Guerrier page at YCA
Young Concert Artists home page

Previous ITG News story:
ARD International Music Competition, Munich, Germany