Renée Sibylle Aurore

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Renée Sibylle Aurore (/rɛnéi sɪbəl əˈrɔr/ reh-NAY sih-BIL AH-rore; born September 29 2002), is a Canadian pianist.^[1] She is the current Ultimate Pianist at Hope's Peak University, and is the 94th holder of the title.^[2]

Early Life

Aurore was born on September 29, 2002, in Montreal, Quebec, the only child of Martin and Justine (née Fontaine) Aurore.^[1] In 2008, the Aurore family suffered a motor vehicle collision on a return trip from a visit with Aurore's maternal aunt Cosette, which resulted in the death of Martin and severe injuries to Justine and Renée. Aurore was in intensive care for several days, during which time she was declared clinically dead, before making a "miraculous recovery" and surviving with relatively minimal long-term complications.^[1][3] Following the incident, Justine Aurore suffered a psychotic break and was determined by officials to be incapable of acting as a guardian, and custody of Aurore was subsequently passed to Cosette.^[1][3][4]

Career

In the months following the incident, Aurore developed an interest in piano which continued into adulthood, stating that performing music helped her feel at peace.^[1][5] Aurore claims to have been self-trained, citing inspiration in the music sheets found at her aunt's home and patience as her guide.^[5]

Aurore has played her own music as soloist with renowned orchestras across the world, including the Vienna Radio Symphony Orchestra, Vienna Chamber Orchestra, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Shenzhen Symphony Orchestra (China), Lucerne Symphony Orchestra (Switzerland), Mozarteum Orchestra Salzburg, Vancouver Symphony Orchestra, L'Orchestre Symphonique de Montréal, Orchestra of St. Luke's (New York), and Israel Philharmonic Orchestra.^[1][5][6][7]

Acceptance to Hope's Peak University

In early 2021, a recording of one of her recitals was posted online and quickly received widespread acclaim, leading her to eventually be scouted by Hope's Peak University as the 94th Ultimate Pianist in the same year, citing her performance's "remarkable prowess and captivating spirit."^[5] Aurore accepted and began attending Hope's Peak in the autumn of 2022.^[1][5]

In an interview during her first year at Hope's Peak University, Aurore stated that despite her passion for piano, she did not originally intend to pursue it as a career, "only seriously (considering) it when (she) was scouted."^[8] This comment was met with backlash from supporters of the Everymen; when asked for comment, Aurore responded: "I'm worried for them. I understand their anger towards the institution, but why would you direct that towards people who are just living their lives? ... It makes me sad to see people get hung up on what others are doing with their lives and let it keep them from living their own."^[9]

Aurore is now in her second year at Hope's Peak University as of October 1st.^[2]

References

1. Célestine DeGarmo. "Renée Sibylle Aurore"
2. Hope's Peak University. "Hope's Peak University Student Roster"
3. Diodore Maçon. "The Tragedy of the Aurore Family"
4. Alfred Lémieux. "Renée Sibylle Aurore—Past and Present"
5. Erika Shaun. "Interviewing Montreal's Pianist"
6. Benjamin Greene. "The Ultimate Pianists of the World (2022 Edition)"
7. Ignace Lestrange. "Tracking the Accomplishments of the World's Piano Prodigies"
8. Takashi Oshiro. "An Interview With the Ultimate Pianist"
9. Therese Alberd. "Ultimate Responses to the Everymen—Do Intimidation Tactics Actually Work?"