Opus Centrum Ensemble

Cécilia Lemaître Sgard (clarinet)

Cécilia Lemaitre Sgard studied at Lyon Conservatory in the class of N. Baldeyrou and R. Bianciotto. Holder of a DNSPM diploma and a BA in musicology, she obtained her clarinet Master’s degree with highest qualification of “very good” in 2015. Trained in orchestral music profession, Cécilia appears regularly in big musical groups such as the Lyon Opera, the National Orchestra of Lyon and the Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio-France, as well as in chamber orchestras such as the Regional Orchestra of Normandy or the Nova Ensemble. Passionate about chamber music, Cécilia is a member of the Quintette Altra, a wind quintet founded in 2013 with which she appears in large concert halls in Paris (Paris Philharmonic, Grand Salon des Invalides, ...) and as part of many festivals (Jazz sous les pommiers, Musiques d’un siècle, Musique en Périgord vert...). She is currently perfecting her skills with the Quintet in a Master of chamber music at the Paris Conservatory in the class of D. Walter. Curious and eager to enrich her artistic experience and to discover a new approach to the scene, Cecilia also participated in the founding of the AnderScènes Ensemble with which she regularly performs. This ensemble of musical theater partners with stage directors and creates live performances combining theater, literature and music.

Rachel Koblyakov (violin)

Rachel Koblyakov violinist of American origin, has performed as a soloist and chamber musician internationally through the United States, France, Switzerland and Germany. She has collaborated with various musicians and composers such as Ida Haendal, Philippe Entremont, Dejan Bogdanovich, and the Ensemble Intercontemporain. A graduate of the Juilliard School, she studied with Ronald Copes. She debuted as a soloist at the age of 12 years with the youth orchestra of Illinois, and performs regularly as a soloist with orchestras such as: the Hof Symphony, St. Dizier chamber orchestra and the New York AeonEnsemble. She has won numerous first prizes such as the Gail and Harry Adams contest, the Baroque Young Artist contest, and was in the final for the International Violin Competition in 2014. She won the scholarships Young Artists Scholarship, the Abram Shtern Scholarship Prize and the Grand Prix 2012 des Instruments à Cordes de Fontainebleau. She participated in different festivals such as the Keshet Eilon violin Mastercourse with Shlomo Mintz, the Lucerne Festival (Switzerland), the Academy of Fontainebleau, and the international festival of Bowdoin. A specialist in contemporary music, she has closely collaborated with many composers such as Wolfgang Rihm, Matthias Pintscher, and Stuart Smith. Many composers such as Stuart Smith, Jules Matton, Yuri Boguinia, and Thomas Menuet have dedicated to her and entrusted her the premieres of their pieces. During the summer 2014 and 2015 she performed at the Lucerne Festival in the Contemporary Ensemble under the direction of Matthias Pintscher and Sir Simon Rattle. She currently lives in Paris, where she studies at the Paris Conservatory and follows the Artist Diploma curriculum.