Didier François
Encyclopedia
Didier François is a Belgian
musician
specialising in the nyckelharpa
who lives in Paris
.
with Myriam Quersin (successor to Arthur Grumiaux
at the Brussels Conservatory) and composition with Daan Manneke
at the Amsterdam Conservatory. He also participated in several jazz workshops with Philip Catherine
, Hein Van De Geyn andMaarten Weiler.
at the Scuola di Musica Popolare di Forlimpopoli
, Italy
and Akademie Burg Fürsteneck
, Germany
as a member of the European Nyckelharpa Training. He conducts seminars and workshops on relaxation technique based on the Belgian violin school of Arthur Grumiaux
: relaxed and fluid movements for beauty of sound, freedom of expression and avoidance of tendinitis. He is also a member of the Cadence project supported by the European Commission.
For many years François worked with the Nyckelharpa builder Joos Janssens for the further evolution of the instrument. Later with the nyckelharpa and bow builder Jean Claude Condi (Mirecourt), he helped with the creation of a study instrument for children. He himself plays on instruments from both builders.
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
musician
Musician
A musician is an artist who plays a musical instrument. It may or may not be the person's profession. Musicians can be classified by their roles in performing music and writing music.Also....* A person who makes music a profession....
specialising in the nyckelharpa
Nyckelharpa
A nyckelharpa , sometimes called a keyed fiddle, is a traditional Swedish musical instrument. It is a string instrument or chordophone. Its keys are attached to tangents which, when a key is depressed, serve as frets to change the pitch of the string.The nyckelharpa is similar in appearance to a...
who lives in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
.
Studies
From 1992 to 1999 François studied violinViolin
The violin is a string instrument, usually with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is the smallest, highest-pitched member of the violin family of string instruments, which includes the viola and cello....
with Myriam Quersin (successor to Arthur Grumiaux
Arthur Grumiaux
Arthur Grumiaux was a Belgian violinist who was also proficient in piano.-Youth:Grumiaux was born in Villers-Perwin, Belgium to a working-class family, and it was his grandfather who urged him to begin music studies at the age of only 4...
at the Brussels Conservatory) and composition with Daan Manneke
Daan Manneke
Daan Manneke is a Dutch composer and organist.Manneke studied organ and composition from 1963 to 1967 at the Brabant Conservatory in Tilburg, under H. Houët and Louis Toebosch and Jan van Dijk then studied organ with Belgian organist Kamiel d’Hooghe in Brussels, followed by composition with Ton...
at the Amsterdam Conservatory. He also participated in several jazz workshops with Philip Catherine
Philip Catherine
Philip Catherine is a Belgian jazz guitarist.-Biography:He was born in London from an English mother and Belgian father....
, Hein Van De Geyn andMaarten Weiler.
Teaching
Didier François has taught nyckelharpaNyckelharpa
A nyckelharpa , sometimes called a keyed fiddle, is a traditional Swedish musical instrument. It is a string instrument or chordophone. Its keys are attached to tangents which, when a key is depressed, serve as frets to change the pitch of the string.The nyckelharpa is similar in appearance to a...
at the Scuola di Musica Popolare di Forlimpopoli
Forlimpopoli
Forlimpopoli is a town and comune in the Province of Forlì-Cesena, northern Italy. It is located on the Via Emilia between Cesena and Forlì.-History:...
, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
and Akademie Burg Fürsteneck
Burg Fürsteneck
Burg Fürsteneck is a castle, situated in central Germany between Fulda and Bad Hersfeld. It belongs to the commune of Eiterfeld. The castle is at an altitude of 406 meters on a small plateau.-History:...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
as a member of the European Nyckelharpa Training. He conducts seminars and workshops on relaxation technique based on the Belgian violin school of Arthur Grumiaux
Arthur Grumiaux
Arthur Grumiaux was a Belgian violinist who was also proficient in piano.-Youth:Grumiaux was born in Villers-Perwin, Belgium to a working-class family, and it was his grandfather who urged him to begin music studies at the age of only 4...
: relaxed and fluid movements for beauty of sound, freedom of expression and avoidance of tendinitis. He is also a member of the Cadence project supported by the European Commission.
Performances
- Guest of Stefane Grappelli, Audi Jazz Festival (Belgium).
- Guest of Gabriel YacoubGabriel YacoubGabriel Yacoub was born in Paris, of a Lebanese father and a French mother. He was a guitarist and singer with the Alan Stivell group that toured France in 1971. Before he founded Malicorne, Gabriel and Marie Yacoub recorded Pierre de Grenoble . Indeed this was originally intended to be the name of...
, Amsterdam, St. Chartier Festival (France). - Film music recording with Armand AmarArmand AmarArmand Amar is an Israel-born French composer who grew up in Morocco. He won the 2010 César Award for Best Music Written for a Film for Le Concert .-Biography:...
for Costa-GavrasCosta-GavrasCosta-Gavras, is a Greek filmmaker, who lives and works in France, best known for films with overt political themes, most famously the fast-paced thriller, Z...
(Amen, Le Couperet), Yann Arthus Bertrand (le monde vu du ciel). - Solo live performance of The Lord of the ringsThe Lord of the RingsThe Lord of the Rings is a high fantasy epic written by English philologist and University of Oxford professor J. R. R. Tolkien. The story began as a sequel to Tolkien's earlier, less complex children's fantasy novel The Hobbit , but eventually developed into a much larger work. It was written in...
by Howard ShoreHoward ShoreHoward Leslie Shore is a Canadian composer, notable for his film scores. He has composed the scores for over 80 films, most notably the scores for The Lord of the Rings film trilogy, for which he won three Academy Awards. He is also a consistent collaborator with director David Cronenberg,...
with Belgian Philharmonic at Antwerp Sport Palace - Worked for 10 years for the Belgian Ensemble Leporello.
- Member of the Belgian Baroque ensemble Zefiro Torna.
Discography
- Nyckelharpa solo, 2011, HomeRecords.be (4446079)
- Sjansons Patinées HomeRecords.be (4446047)
- Double CD: Didier Francois, Gilles Chabenat - Gabriel Yacoub HomeRecords.be (4446033)
- Falling Tree Long Distance Records (3073722 WAG331)
- locuras de vanelo Artrisjok Records
- 44 duetti Béla BartòkBéla BartókBéla Viktor János Bartók was a Hungarian composer and pianist. He is considered one of the most important composers of the 20th century and is regarded, along with Liszt, as Hungary's greatest composer...
, with Marco AmbrosiniMarco AmbrosiniMarco Ambrosini is an Italian musician, composer and arranger living in Germany. - Studies :From 1971 to 1981, Ambrosini studied violin and viola and composition with Mario Perrucci at the "Instituto Musicale G.B.Pergolesi" in Ancona and at the conservatory "G.Rossini" in Pesaro.- Musician...
, Wild Boar Records (WBM 21022) - Alicantes Map Records
- Duo Philip Masure Didier Francois Map Records
Nyckelharpa
François is known for his unusual technique and posture when playing the nyckelharpa. Holding the instrument in front of the chest, one is able to move both arms in a more natural and relaxed fashion. Using a violin bridge to keep the nyckelharpa away from the body so it can swing freely also causes it to sound more open.For many years François worked with the Nyckelharpa builder Joos Janssens for the further evolution of the instrument. Later with the nyckelharpa and bow builder Jean Claude Condi (Mirecourt), he helped with the creation of a study instrument for children. He himself plays on instruments from both builders.