Bernard Soustrot

Enthusiasm and admiration for his teacher have turned one of Maurice André’s best pupils into a renowned soloist and dynamic organiser.

Bernard was born in Lyon in 1954. His father and grandfather (trumpet and cornet respectively) were enlightened amateurs and it was his father (who for a long time conducted the Caluire and Rilleux wind bands) who gave him his first lessons. He started the piano at six and theory at nine.

I wanted to be like my father. My first instrument was his trumpet, a “Pihan” (a Lyon maker). But when he played in front of us (my brother Marc¹ and me), he always complained of poor endurance and of difficulty in the high register. One day, while I was playing this old instrument, I decided it really was too much like hard work so, acting on intuition, I poured some water through it. Imagine my surprise when I saw the black unsavoury mess that came out. Afterwards it was like a new instrument.

A few months later he enrolled at the Lamartine Group Music School and studied for a year with René Sapin, then with Maurice Benterfa, who took the job over in 1965. Bernard Soustrot was eleven but the friendship that was to grow between him and Maurice Benterfa was to reach its full fruition in 1986 when they set up the Narbonne International Brass Quintet Competition.

Meanwhile, his new teacher prepared him well. He entered the Lyon Conservatoire in 1967 and left, with his prize, two years later. He prepared for various local competitions before winning the 1st Grand Prix of the "Royaume de la Musique" (a national competition for young musicians) on 27th April 1969 at the age of fifteen. This first success was to enable him to attract attention in Paris.

Inspired by Maurice André

One day Maurice Benterfa, a great friend of Maurice André, took his protégés from Lyon to visit the famous virtuoso’s class in Paris. This was what inspired Bernard. He worked hard to get into the Paris Conservatoire and succeeded in 1971. In 1975 he won a 1st prize there by a unanimous decision. The foundations of his career were being laid — and with impressive speed: 3rd prize at the Prague Competition in 1974; solo trumpet at the South German Radio Orchestra (with Celibidache) in Stuttgart (1975-1976); many solo concerts, with Karl Münchinger among others; 1st prize at the “Maurice André” Competition run by Croisières Paquet; and, at the end of 1976, solo trumpet at the Radio France New Philharmonic in Paris (where he stayed until 1981).