Cédric Vinatier studied the trombone at the Conservatoire national supérieur de musique et de danse de Lyon, where he was awarded a Diploma in Advanced Musical Studies in 1997 and a Certificate of Further Studies in 1999.

He has won several national and international competitions and has performed with numerous French orchestras, including the Orchestre de Paris, the Orchestre de l’Opéra national de Paris, the Orchestres nationaux de Lyon, Toulouse and Île-de-France, the Orchestre français des jeunes and the Gustav Mahler Jugend Orchester.

He joined the Orchestre de Paris in September 2002 as a tenor trombonist.