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- info@menuhin-foundation.com
AUGUST 2023
30 years of MUS-E anniversary event in Gstaad
30 years ago, Yehudi Menuhin, together with Marianne Poncelet and Werner Schmitt, had the idea of creating the MUS-E Network, during a conference in Gstaad. On August 26th, a celebratory event took place at the Saanen church with a representation of swiss folk dances by a group of local children, testimonies from members of the MUS-E Network, and a musical moment with violonist Gilles Apap and pianists Mookie and Jeremy Menuhin. This event was an occasion to reminisce past projects of the MUS-E Network and also envision its future.
JUNE-JULY 2023
Choir for Ukraine final concert
Our “Choir for Ukraine” project, launched in January 2023, came to an end on June 22nd with a concert in the beautiful Protestant Royal Chapel in Brussels. The young people constituting the choir were able to show all that they had learnt during the school year with choir master Paul Sojo, pianist Dmytro Sukhovienko and choreographer Milton Paul. Their friends, families and teachers were extremely proud of them, and we are too! A short film about this adventure will be available in autumn. In the meanwhile, you can watch a short video from the concert here.
Artistic residency in tapovan
At the beginning of July, we spent a week at Tapovan on an artistic residency with IYMF Ambassadors Artists and MUS-E artists, to share, collect, and reflect on experiences on artistic co-creation practices, as an initial step towards a toolkit for artistic co-creation that IYMF will produce by the end of the year. The focus of the toolkit will be in relation to social inclusion, green awareness, and digital transition. Here some highlights of the week: Insightful discussion and exchange, inspiring natural surroundings, interventions by Kiran Vyas (Tapovan centre) and Richard Dunne (The Harmony Project), artistic co-creation workshops led by artists , music, and a beautiful energy between this amazing group of people .
Participants were artists Aleksandar Caric, Quentin Dujardin, Claire Honigsbaum, Isabelle Maurel, Stefan Maurer, Andor Timar and Shanglie Zhou, as well as artistic director Thierry Van Roy, social inclusion trainer and evaluator Dina Sensi, and videographer Roman Van Roy.
DECEMBER 2022
Ucreate final event
The UCREATE project has come to an end in December 2022, during a two-day event taking place at the Instituto di Cultura italiana in partnership with ENCATC, and at the Red Cross Centre of Yvoir, with a roundtable and a final concert. For more info, read here.
International online mus-e festival
From December 5th to December 20th, MUS-E organisations from Germany, Italy, Switzerland, Portugal, Spain, Liechtenstein and Belgium have presented videos showcasing what their MUS-E classes have been up to.
This festival is a way to promote all social initiatives and artistic creations that happen within the MUS-E network, support MUS-E artists in sharing their work and raise awareness about all MUS-E network activities and missions. More informations here, and videos on our YouTube page.
JUNE 2022
Douce France
A musical journey of French inspiration to meet the cultures of the world and inspire peace
This year, the ‘Douce France’ concert celebrates the end of the French Presidency of the Council of the European Union by inviting musicians and singers on stage who travel through different styles, starting with bal musette and French chanson, then moving on to film music and slam, alternating with Ravel, Saint-Saëns and Shostakovich.
The soloists of the Brussels Chamber Orchestra, led by cellist Mario Villuendas, accompanied by the incomparable French violinist Gilles Apap, the Antwerp accordionist and composer Gwen Cresens, and Romanian cymbalist Marius Preda, will welcome singers Marlène Dorcéna and Marianne Aya Omac to the stage for a French-inspired journey of openness and inclusion of different musical genres, in the spirit of our Founder: Yehudi Menuhin, the violinist who all his life fought for peace and understanding between peoples.
This concert will be under the sign of peace and solidarity. It will also welcome two violinists, one Czech of Russian origin, Olga Šroubková, and the other Ukrainian, Valerij Sokolov, who, playing together, accompanied by the musicians of the Menuhin Foundation, will illustrate the power of dialogue and listening in these troubled times.
This message will be relayed on stage by the slammer microMEGA le Verbivore who will remind us through the poetic power of his words that peace has no price.
APRIL & MAY 2022
peace and solidarity concert
On 7th of April 2022, the International Yehudi Menuhin Foundation together with the Permanent Representation of Lithuania in Brussels, organized a peace and solidarity concert to raise funds in support to Ukraine and for actions aiming to support refugees from Ukraine in Belgium through the practice of the arts.
On this special occasion, the talented musicians from the Brussels Chamber Orchestra Quintet were joined by violinists Olga Šroubková and Diana Tishchenko for the solo parts.
IYMF hold a second peace and solidarity concert in May 2022 with the talented musicians from the Brussels Chamber Orchestra Quintet, Olga Šroubková and Michael Guttman.
We all #StandUpForUkraine, for peace and solidarity.
We all #StandUpForUkraine, for peace and solidarity.
Please consider joining the solidarity effort. The needs of the displaced are enormous and we all can help the refugees from Ukraine in Belgium through the practice of the arts! Feel free to make your donations into the King Baudouin Foundation account through a simple scan of the QR code and an click:
Donations are to be made at the following account number at the King Baudouin Foundation:
IBAN BE10 0000 0000 0404 – BIC BPOTBEB1
Structured communication [compulsory] 623/3712/60034
Donations online: https://donate.kbs-frb.be/actions/FFO-IYMFUkraine
The funds that will be collected thanks to this concert will be used to create a choir made up of Ukrainian children in Brussels, directed by a choirmaster who will have the children sing together for the next months, with a view to then presenting the results of this work on stage. This initiative will be led by the International Yehudi Menuhin Foundation in collaboration with an association welcoming Ukrainian children in Belgium. In a second step, if the funds allow it, we plan to extend our action to primary schools welcoming Ukrainian children in Brussels.
music session with Pitoo
CONCERT WITH YOU - Live Session 5
Pitoo is a 24 years old rap artist from Burundi who lives in Brussels. He recently launched a series of freestyles “Le Recit du Babes” available on his Youtube channel “N O U Z A Y N E TV”.
Pitoo participated in the UCREATE project designed and implemented by the International Yehudi Menuhin Foundation. This programme aims at facilitating social connections with local communities and fostering access to creative expression to refugees and asylum seekers in Belgium.
Year 2022
UNESDA Soft drinks europe
UNESDA Soft Drinks Europe signed a partnership agreement with the International Yehudi Menuhin Foundation to support 6 musicians with an opportunity to produce original music video and perform concerts in 2022. This will be part of the Foundation’s www.concertwithyou.com initiative, a streaming concert platform that allows artists to share their music and engage with the public.
Marianne Poncelet, Executive Vice-Present and co-founder of the International Yehudi Menuhin Foundation in Brussels, comments: ‘’We are delighted to establish this cooperation with UNESDA Soft Drinks Europe to strengthen our mission to support the next generation of talented artists. Making our societies more inclusive and united is truly transformative and music is a powerful tool in achieving it. We are grateful to UNESDA Soft Drinks Europe for its commitment to promote artistic excellence and give new artists the chance to contribute to our society with the sound and power of their music. With this partnership, we demonstrate that we can drive change together and make a positive difference in the lives of several artists.’’
OCTOBER – DECEMBER 2021
30 YEARS, 30 STORIES.
On this 30 year anniversary of the Foundation, we would like to celebrate with you our missions and what we have achieved, all the people we have reached, all the hearts we have changed.
JULY 2021
International mus-e festival
The International Yehudi Menuhin Foundation is proud to present the very first International MUS-E Festival ! The festival will entirely happen online and will be broadcasted on www.concertwithyou.com, the International Yehudi Menuhin Foundation online platform that helps musicians getting long-term opportunities.
Everyday from July 19 until August 08th MUS-E organisations from Germany, Italy, Switzerland, Hungary, Portugal, Spain, Belgium, Brazil and Israël will present the work of artists that lead activities locally aiming at promoting equal access to culture and the arts.
Visitors will have the chance to discover a wide eclectic selection of art works made all around Europe ! This festival is a way to promote all social initiatives and artisitic creations that happen within the Mus-e network, support Mus-e artists in sharing their work and raise awareness about all Mus-e network activities and missions.
JUNE 2021
Música Na Bagagem
Music session with sahad
CONCERT WITH YOU - Live Session 4
Enthusiastic Spirit, driving Beats & sophisticated Melodies! With a panorama of West African rhythms, SAHAD celebrates the cosmopolitan richness of current African music. SAHAD is like a bush taxi that travels around the world looking for the richness of our differences to share a message of love and tolerance. A crossing roads between Senegalese mbalax, Malian desert Blues, Afro-beat, Rock and Jazz.
MAY 2021
standing with quentin
music session with green catani
CONCERT WITH YOU - Live Session 3
For her first solo album, she composes tracks where her voice blends with enveloping, fluid and reverberating melodies. This very promising album oscillates between the layers of wide open spaces, soft psychedelia and varied rhythms. Available on all platforms on May 28th 2021.
The sound of Green Catani, vibrant, mystical and sometimes confusing, is the image of the woman behind it. Originally from Campinas (Brazil), she left her home for France, Belgium and then New Zealand before her path led her to Paris. After studying at the MAI (Music Academy International), singing and playing drums for Psych-Rock bands, she soon became part of the Pantin Plage group as a singer/percussionist as well as other musical projects. Her first solo album “J’arrose mes plaintes” will be available on the 28th of May 2021. First exclusive live performance only on Concertwithyou.com.
APRIL 2021
music session with côme ranjard and alexis croisé
CONCERT WITH YOU - Live Session 2
For the second edition of the serie “concertwithyou Live Session”, we are proud to present a very talented artist: Côme Ranjard.
Together with the great keyboardist Alexis Croisé, they will propose an exclusive live version of the very poetic song “Hippocampe”.
Côme Ranjard
Côme makes his music the same way we would build a house. Every corner of it looks like him and tells us more about it’s strange resident. As soon as we get to his front door, we are touched by his deep low voice and the poetry of his words. By the window, instruments come in and out freely. After releasing an EP very well received by the media, Côme is already on his way to recording an album. Among his neighbors, people may have seen Philippe Katerine, Bertrand Belin, Hayao Miyazaki, Caetano Veloso and the great Haruomi Hosono.
Alexis Croisé
Member of the Parisian bands Biche, Dantone, and Mottomoda, ranging from psychedelic pop to atypical garage, it is in his “cabin” that the boy has fun painting various short films of soundscapes using analog keyboards, old drum machines and other instruments with dreamy sounds.
MARS 2021
homelands digital talkshow
Cinemaximiliaan is a platform with and by newcomers in Belgium. The initiative started in an improvised camp at the Maximiliaan Park in Brussels with daily film screenings. Cinemaximiliaan quickly grew by the commitment of a vast network of volunteers, amongst them many newcomers.
Music session with the Brussels Chamber Orchestra & Gwen Cresens
CONCERT WITH YOU - Live Session 1
The Brussels Chamber Orchestra will share the stage with the Belgian accordionist Gwen Cresens and make you travel between tango, classic music, but also more avant-garde and jazzy pieces. You will discover very well known pieces such as Oblivion of Piazzola as well as pieces as you have never heard them before! The formation on stage will be a string quartet, a double bass and accordion.
The Brussels Chamber Orchestra
In 1999, the common passion and investment of young people virtuosos for chamber music gave birth to the Brussels Chamber Orchestra. With six different nationalities, the BCO is a formidable cultural and artistic laboratory in the heart of Europe. Each work executed is enriched by this mixture of Asian and European cultures. The deep search for a specific style gives a unique sound to the group. The BCO masters a wide repertoire, from Vivaldi to Britten, including Mozart, Elgar, Bartók, Piazzolla, Hindemith or Schoenberg. The BCO is involved in the creation of educational projects and has the privilege of being an ambassador of the International Yehudi Menuhin Foundation.
Gwen Cresens
Gwen Cresens is a Belgian accordion and bandoneon player, arranger and composer. He studied classical accordion at the Antwerp conservatoire and followed many masterclasses with internationally acclaimed maestro’s. The artist has been playing with many orchestras and artists (e.g., Antwerp Symphony Orchestra, Brussels Philharmonic, Rotterdams Philharmonic Orchestra). He also recorded soundtracks for movies, theatre and dance companies.
DECEMBER 2020
Every year since its creation, the International Yehudi Menuhin Foundation has been organizing high-flying concerts with musicians from all over the world and an audience that often leaves the hall in awe.
It is our best way to convey our messages of tolerance, dialogue and the creation of bonds.
There is no need to look back over the past year and its consequences for the cultural world. From us to you is our end-of-year gift, it is the bond that we keep and our will to continue to fill with wonder through music.
From us to you is our way to end this year, to bring music and joy into your homes.
To make this event unique and magical we have gathered the perfect ingredients:
☆ A majestic place, in the heart of the city of Brussels: the event will be broadcasted from the “Gothic Hall” of Brussels City Hall.
☆ Musicians who will manage to take you on a journey through time: Matthieu Saglio Quartet.
☆ A team gathered for its values and its qualities who will make you live the emotions of music and image in the most beautiful way.