Catherine Delaunay

Catherine Delaunay (born 31 October 1969) is a French jazz clarinet player and composer, best known as a leader of Y’en a qui manquent pas d’air. She is also a member of the French Laurent Dehor’s big band “Tous Dehors”.

Catherine grew up in Britanny, France. She started studying the clarinet at the age of six in a local music school. At that time, she also studied the piano and percussions. Later on, she studied the piano (1978–1985) and drums (1991 and 1994). She studied music at the Conservatoire National de Région de Rennes and Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique et de Danse de Lyon and passed the (Jacques Di Donato’s class, 1993), le (Jacques Aboulker’s class, 1993), le Certificat d’Etudes Complémentaires Spécialisées “Atelier instrumental du XXème siècle”, (1993, Gilbert Amy, et le Certificat d’Etudes Complémentaires Spécialisées de clarinet ancienne et chalumeau (Jean-Claude Veilhan, 1995).

From 1989 to 1995, she studied at the Consevatoire National Supériur de Musique de Lyon (CNSMD). She studied the clarinet with Jacques Di Donato (she passed the Diplôme National d’Etudes Supérieures Musicales of clarinet in 1993), Chamber Music with Jacques Aboulker (she passed the Certificat d’Etudes Spécialisées of chamber music in 1993), Contemporary Music (she passed the Certificat d’Etudes Complémentaires Spécialisées “Atelier instrumental du XXème siècle” in 1993), Composition, Musical Analysis and Harmony with Loïc Mallié, and 5 keys clarinet and chalumeau with Jean-Claude Veilhan (she passed the Certificat d’Etudes Complémentaires Spécialisées de clarinet ancienne et chalumeau in 1995). From 1991 to 1994, she also studied drums with Jean-Louis Mechali.

While studying à the CNSMD, she already plays with Marc Peronne, Laurent Dehors, Alain Blesing.