French and Romanian musicians Thierry Huillet and Clara Cernat

European classical duo Clara Cernat and Thierry Huillet, both renowned soloists in their own right, will perform at the Hanoi Opera House this month.

At the January 13 show, the couple will play Sonata No. 1 by Gabriel Fauré, Danse Macabre by Camille Saint-Saëns and two preludes by Claude Debussy.

Before forming the duo in 1996, Romanian violinist Clara Cernat was selected as one of “Europe’s Eight Great Talents” at the European Talent Awards in 1994, giving her the opportunity to study under masters such as Tibor Varga and Igor Ozim.

She also won first prize at the J.S. Bach Competition in Paris and First Prize in the International Competition for Violin at Italy’s Citta di Andria.

French pianist Thierry Huillet has previously played with the Cleveland Orchestra and the Tokyo Metropolitan Orchestra.

He won the prestigious First Grand Prize at the Robert Casadesus International Piano Competition for Piano in Cleveland, Ohio, the US, the Busoni competition in Italy, and the Tokyo International Music Competition.

Both musicians are now professors at the National Conservatory for the Toulouse region as well as at the Center for Advanced Instruction of Music in Toulouse, France.

After the concert, organized by French cultural center L’Espace in Hanoi, the duo will perform at the HCMC counterpart, Idécaf, on January 15.

Reported by Phuong Anh