When I was four, I was completely obsessed with the Jedi and sword fighting. For me, the bow was some kind of sword, and I thought that if I played the violin, I’d be a knight. My family had a very small violin, and it intrigued me.

I was fascinated by Dvořák’s New World Symphony, and after that Lully’s March for the Turkish Ceremony.

Théotime Langlois de Swarte sits on the floor in an ornately decorated room, holding his violin.

Théotime Langlois de Swarte. Photo © Marco Borggreve

Both of my parents teach singing, and when I was six or seven, I was a boy soprano in the choir that my mother conducted. My singing was not so great, but my sister’s was. I needed to find my own voice. I think the violin reached out to me through its emotional way of reproducing the human voice; I was able to sing through that.

It’s very difficult when you start playing the violin, and I was attracted to the challenge. My teacher was very, very strict. Her name was Monique Durand, and I loved her. Our relationship was built around asking for more.