Philanthropy on hand for young musicians

When a love of music rhymes with a desire to help talented young musicians, it results in a beautiful story, that of the Fravanni Fund. Created within the King Baudouin Foundation, on the initiative of a passionate philanthropist, the Fund has already contributed to launching the international career of two pianists and a violinist. The latest grantee, the Akos Quartet, will perform in Paris and Berlin when the quartet’s new CD comes out in 2021.

There are some people whom nothing can stop. François Van Impe is one of them. A jazz musician with a huge heart, he had always vowed that, come the day when he had both the time and the means, he would do “something for talented young musicians”. He never lost sight of his dream. “Initially, I thought about starting a little music school,” says François Van Impe. Thibaut Maillard, a family friend, sound engineer and artistic director for CD recordings, became part of his project and suggested setting up a little foundation instead of a school. “But when you’re small and unknown, it’s not so easy,” continued François Van Impe, “and that’s when I was advised to contact the King Baudouin Foundation. I was made to feel very welcome and understood.”

In 2013, the Fravanni Foundation saw the light of day under the wings of the Foundation. Its ambition was to provide a starting block for talented young musicians. “We put in place a system: we choose one or several musicians, we record their first record and we take care of its distribution. Then we organize a launch concert in Paris. That’s where it all happens: our label NoMadMusic, the recording studio, the press service and the concert.” This gives a huge boost to talented young musicians’ careers.

Four prizewinners

Pianist Valentine Buttard was the first beneficiary of the Fund in 2014-2015. "Making your first CD is an essential step for a young musician, as well as an asset for all the steps you have to take with the organisers of concerts and festivals,” she says. She chose to record music by Philippe Hersant, one of the most important French contemporary composers. “For me, it was obvious: his music had accompanied me for years, it had become part of me. I absolutely needed to record a CD so as to share his music.” The Fravanni Fund agreed with her choice. “It’s really rare to get such a sign of confidence for a first recording, especially with such an audacious project as mine,” emphasises the pianist. Her intuition was rewarded. At the start of 2016, Valentine Buttard’s CD was awarded the distinction of 4 Diapasons, which is great recognition for a talented artist in France.

In parallel to this, the Fravanni Fund produced the CD of pianist Hugues Chabert, the second grantee. “The critics spoke very highly of both records; Hugues Chabert’s CD even resulted in very positive praise by Universal London,” says François Van Impe. “At the beginning of 2016, we organised a promotional concert, which played to a full house at the Salle Cortot in Paris. Valentine Buttard and Hugues Chabert played the repertoire of their respective CDs and Philippe Hersant - who shortly afterwards received the Victoire de la Musique du Meilleur Compositeur 2015-2016 – honoured us with his presence.”

In 2018, violinist Anna Göckel, the third grantee of the Fravanni Fund, reached the semi-final of the Queen Elisabeth Competition. "Anna is an extraordinarily talented artist, with character and commitment. We are proud to have been the first to have discovered her. Her opening concert in Paris at the beginning of 2018 received a very long standing ovation. And her record is the first to have been given 5 stars in the Paris magazine Classica, which normally only gives as many as 4 stars.”

“Today, we are beginning our fourth project, this time with a musical group, the Quatuor Akos,” continues François Van Impe. Thanks to support from the Fund, the 2019-2021 grantee will record their first record this year, a double CD devoted to the integral recording of Joseph Haydn’s Opus 76, performed with period stringed instruments. “We have planned a launch concert in Paris in early 2021 and, something new, another concert in Berlin. This means we are moving up a level.”

A veritable springboard

In just a few years, the Fravanni Fund seems already to have reached its objective. “We are seeing with great joy that the young musicians we have supported are making a name for themselves in the world of music. They are giving concerts around the world and, in the meantime, have also made other records without the Fund’s involvement,” says a delighted François Van Impe.

Valentine Buttard does not hesitate in her praise for the Fund: “I am so grateful for the fantastic and generous support of the Fravanni Fund! The musical world is complex and it’s so difficult to make a place for yourself. Being supported and guided by professionals in whom you can have confidence was a real opportunity for me,” she says. “The Fund’s selection committee doesn’t attach a great deal of importance to the prizes you’ve already won in one or other competition, as is so often the case. It considers the quality of the music and the originality of the projects.”

The Fravanni Fund continues with its projects, always with the objective of supporting talented young musicians so that they can develop and express their potential. “Up to now, we have only supported classical music projects,” says the philanthropist, “but we are also open to other types of music.” Music lovers take note!