Rudi Sordes
Rudi Sordes, an engineer from France, is also a music composer. He collaborated with Chinese filmmaker Long Jiangbo on two films previous to his collaboration with Long on music for a 3 1/2-minute countdown of 24 traditional Chinese seasons for the opening ceremonies of the 2022 Winter Olympics held in Beijing. Part of the music included Sordes singing with his daughter Emma. He collaborated with Long again on a promotional film celebrating the World University Games.
Sordes learned to play the piano and wrote his first song at the age of 13. He continued playing and composing, later taking organ lessons when he was 40. In 2001, his songs and film scores began to be broadcast on French television.
He graduated from CentraleSupelec, France's acclaimed elite technology and engineering university and also graduated in engineering from Germany's top university RWTH Aachenhas. He has also been an entrepreneur, software architect, and aeronautical consultant. He and his wife, Clémence, have seven children. She is a French novelist.
Days before the opening ceremonies of the 2024 Paris Olympics, Presiding Bishop Gérald Caussé spoke during a special Olympic devotional for members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on Sunday, July 21, in Versailles, France. Sordes joined him, as did former Olympic gold-medalist gymnast Peter Vidmar, and Olympian Jimmer Fredette.
- Sordes, a French Latter-day Saint, spoke of growing up in the same ward with Bishop Caussé — and detailed how the choices both he and Bishop Caussé made changed the course of their lives.
- “The choices you make as a youth will impact the rest of your life,” he said.
- Sordes was studying engineering when he contemplated changing directions and leaving the university and studying music composition at a conservatory.
- He prayed all night and in the morning received a strong prompting: “Finish what you started.”
- He stayed the course and, to his great surprise, found a way to pursue both paths. “Do your best,” he said, encouraging the youth to make “room in your life for God to perform miracles in your life.”
- Sordes said participating in the devotional was an honor “to be featured alongside two exceptional athletes who demonstrated that fame and performance can coexist with humility and love.”[1]
