What is your experience of the Competition?
In recent years, I have accompanied the High School Students' Jury as coordinator. I am particularly enthusiastic about this program. The High School Student Jury is made up of high school students of all ages and levels who have a good background in music and piano and who also award prizes at each edition. This experience enriches them, as they get to talk to the candidates, the professional members of the Competition Jury, and the members of Orchestra'Sion, which is the orchestra that accompanies the finalists.
Music seems to be particularly important at your school.
We are trying to develop new musical projects within the school. Last year, we carried out a special baroque music project with French musicians and our students, which we are repeating this year with a production of Dido and Aeneas.
In addition, we also invite our jurors to perform on stage at other times of the year, as was the case with Anna Geniushene and Lucas Geniusas, as well as Turkish pianists Toros Can and Gülsin Onay, and we invite them to give masterclasses to students at the conservatories.
It should also be noted that the finalists of the Piano Competition are generally always invited to play at the Lycée the year after they win their prize. Developing educational projects for our students in collaboration with our prize winners is one of our objectives.
For the winners, we would like to continue seeking partnerships so that they can perform and share their talent. This year, they are invited to perform at festivals in Turkey, such as the Glümüsluk International Classical Music Festival, or abroad, particularly in France, such as the Lisztomanias Festival in Châteauroux or the Théâtre Saint-Bonnet in Bourges.
