Who is Sarah Coponat, the pianist from Var who is making waves by posting improvisation videos on Twitch?

A smile forms, her eyes close, her red locks become intoxicated, her fingers race across the keys... and the magic happens. Behind her piano, Sarah Coponat improvises. Her trademark. The Sanaryenne charms internet users from all over the world thanks to the Twitch platform. Three times a week, she logs on and offers concerts or songs to her subscribers, who can also interact with her. This notoriety also allows her to fill venues, both in France and abroad.

"What I like about improvisation is that I find a direct path to emotion. It's not rational or conscious," says the pianist, who will be in concert in Paris, at the Salle Cortot on October 4. "I imagine lots of things when I play, it can be visual or sensory. Sometimes, I feel like I'm caught in a storm, in a film. When I take great flights, I feel like I'm embodying the violins, the strings, the voices," smiles the pianist.

When she gets going, she compares it to the feeling of a child running down a slope. "You can fall, but at the same time, not really, you're no longer in control and you have to let go." During her performances, she sits down, without music. A post-it note, taped to the floor, serves as her guide. So, when asked to define her world, the young woman specifies: "Between neoclassical and film music. It's music that suggests images and emotions. There's also a touch of world music."

The freedom to create

Sarah's love affair with her instrument dates back to a very young age. With her brother, Sébastien, they have always been surrounded by music. "When she was pregnant, our mother played pieces on the piano, thinking, 'It must sound good in the belly,'" they whisper in unison. At the age of 3, she took her first lessons with the teacher who had taught the instrument to her mother and grandmother, near Carnoux. It was an instant love at first sight. Very quickly, Sarah composed her first pieces. "Practising the piano was never a constraint. I always wanted to go further." She continued her scales at the Marseille Conservatory but struggled to blossom. "At 18, I was composing a lot. I needed to express this part of myself. And the classical framework of the conservatory didn't allow me to do so. So, I preferred to go it alone and continue in my own world. "A brilliant student, she continued her studies in higher mathematics, then a master's degree in law. But it was not in these spheres that Sarah felt alive. "I composed more than I revised. I was out of place, I wanted to be on stage..."

So, four years ago, she dropped everything. With no other ambition than to play. She returned home. "I said, 'Hey Mom, I'm coming back, I'm going to play the piano in your basement.'" Yet, she had to earn a living. But driven only by her desire to play, Sarah had no idea how to go about it. Luckily, she could count on her brother.

His brother to support him

"He was in Australia on an end-of-studies internship for his engineering school. When he came back, he wanted to start his own business. He offered to help me with my project." The young man launched his venture with an entrepreneurial vision to enable his sister to make a living from her art. Together, they set up their own self-production and audiovisual company. They handle everything from A to Z for Sarah and also welcome other artists into their studio in Sanary.

"At first, we had no idea what was possible in that world. But we quickly had opportunities and realized that we were going to be able to earn a living. So we created a whole ecosystem around us thanks to Twitch ." Digital technology was a springboard. Covid too, putting the emphasis on the Internet rather than on concerts. Once the health crisis was over, Sarah finally experienced her first stages. Festivals or opening for orchestras playing film music. At the same time, her community continued to grow on the networks. Two worlds that are not antinomic and that end up intersecting. "I'm lucky to have people who follow me on Twitch and who come to see me in concert..." They will still be here in Paris in a few days.

2 albums in 2 months

In addition to her concert at the Salle Cortot, the "Mecca" for pianists, Sarah Coponat is having a busy season. And is releasing two albums. The first is on September 17th, We Are Incandescent . "It's not just piano, there's also voice and other instruments," she emphasizes. Recorded in her studio, with her brother. "I'd never had the opportunity to sing on an album. I sometimes do it in concert or in my live performances, but never in this way. I'm happy to have done it." It rediscovers her cinematic universe, where the piano dialogues with other sounds. The second album, Paris , accompanies the concert given in the capital (released on October 3rd). "This one is solo piano. I had a lot of pieces that I had never recorded, it's close to what I'm going to do on stage." As the queen of improv, how do you stay on track between an album and a studio recording? "Often, I start with a recording of an improvisation. I listen back, and it gives me inspiration to add other things and re-record. Even though I'm always improvising, certain melodies come back and end up becoming a song."

On stage, it'll be different. With the adrenaline rush of live performance, Sarah lets herself be carried away. "I sometimes give myself long endings, go overboard with a dramatic edge, I love that! But I've also learned to know when to stop. It's a question of emotion; I have to feel like I'm reaching a kind of ecstasy." For those who would like to get a glimpse of her performances, head over to her various social media accounts. Warning: no two performances are alike.