Marie-Ange Ngucy - 2016 Spring Benefit Recital

FRENCH-AMERICAN PIANO SOCIETY

2016 Spring Benefit Recital May 5th 2016 Consulate General of France New York, USA

Marie-Ange Nguci, Piano 1

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Welcome to our 2016 Spring Benefit Recital French-American Piano Society is a non-profit organization designed to promote cultural exchange, education, and networking between France and the United States, through French pianists and music.

Over the past two years, our scholarships were awarded to seven talented young French pianists. Last year, scholarship recipient Marie-Ange Nguci (‘15) won the First Prize at the International Keyboard Institute and Festival (IKIF).

Today, we are delighted to welcome Marie-Ange Nguci for her first solo recital in the United States.

We are exceedingly grateful to the many corporate and individual patrons who are joining us again in 2016 to offer support and scholarship funds which make our recitals possible. Their continued presence at our side will guarantee even more success in the future.

This evening, Marie-Ange will announce the names of the 2016 Scholarship recipients who will participate in the 2016 edition of the International Keyboard Institute and Festival in New York this summer.

Please join us again on July 15th, 2016 for our Award Ceremony and Recital to welcome these talented young artists who embody the mission and success of our Society.

Mathieu Petitjean, Ph.D. Founder and Director

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FRENCH-AMERICAN PIANO SOCIETY Presents Thursday, May 5th, 2016 at 6:30pm Consulate General of France in New York

MARIE-ANGE NGUCI, PIANO Sonata No. 5, Op. 53 Alexander Scriabin (1872 - 1915) Prélude, Aria et Final César Franck (1822 - 1890) Les litanies de l’ombre Thierry Escaich (1965 - ) Toccata, Op.111 Camille Saint-Saëns (1835 – 1921)

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MARIE-ANGE NGUCI At the age of 18, FrancoAlbanian pianist Marie-Ange Nguci has already positioned herself as an outstanding young artist of her generation. Her technical prowess and exceptional musicality has allowed her to develop a unique and poetic tonal quality, dazzling audiences in performance.

Nguci’s talents were recognized early on when she was awarded First Prize at the Lagny-sur Marne International Piano Competition in 2011.

After winning the 2015 Dorothy MacKenzie Competition at the International Keyboard Institute and Festival in New York (IKIF).

Performing frequently as a soloist, chamber musician and with orchestra, Nguci enjoys engaging with contemporary classical music and worked directly with composers Thierry Escaich, Graziane Finzi, Alain Abbott, and Fabien Touchard. Most recently, she recorded works by French composers César Franck, Camille Saint-Saëns, Gabriel Fauré, Olivier Messaien and Thierry Escaich, examining different historical periods and aesthetics.

Nguci received her Bachelor’s degree in Musicology at the Paris-Sorbonne University and her Master’s degree in Piano performance with highest honors at the Paris Conservatoire. She is currently enrolled in the Paris Conservatoire’s prestigious Artist Diploma course in piano while studying ondes Martenot and completing additional Master’s degrees in musical analysis and music pedagogy. She is a recipient of major grants from the Meyer and L’Or du Rhin Foundations and the French-American Piano Society in New York.

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A VISION FOR THE FUTURE In 2016, the French-American Piano Society is raising $100,000 to acquire a Steinway piano model B. This piano will be hosted in the prestigious music room of the Consulate of France in New York, at 934 Fifth Avenue.

As a result, our recital program will become sustainable and our Society will have a home. We plan to showcase more than 50 promising French pianists in the coming ten years. At the Consulate of France, this piano will be the catalyst of multiple other musical performances.

To reach this goal, we are actively seeking partners and patrons that would like to support this acquisition. Contribution levels and benefits are summarized below:

SOCIETY LEADER ($50,000) Lifetime recognition on a plaque installed on the piano, 20 invitations to our upcoming five seasons (20 recitals).

RECITAL SERIES SPONSOR ($25,000) Our Recital Sponsor will have a recital series named in their honor (five seasons), including 10 invitations to our five seasons (20 recitals).

PATRONS ($2,500) Our Patrons will be the catalyst of an emerging community. Their leadership will be regularly recognized and they will receive six invitations to our upcoming five seasons (20 recitals).

French-American Piano Society is a 501(c)(3) tax exempt organization.

Your contributions are tax deductible

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THE SCHOLARSHIP GRANTS Why?

French pianists are under-represented in US-based piano festivals competitions due to lack of funding, not lack of talent. Our goal is to reverse this trend, offering new professional opportunities to French artists and an enhanced experience to American audiences.

Track record Started in July 2014, our scholarships have already been granted to seven talented young French pianists, allowing them to participate in New York’s International Keyboard Institute and Festival and related MacKenzie Piano Competition.

Scholarship The scholarship covers round-trip transportation from Paris, tuition fees for the International Keyboard Institute and Festival, and housing during the two-week festival.

The program also includes a public recital at the France’s New York Consulate as well as audition fees to the Young Concert Artists’ Paris auditions in September 2016.

ANNOUCING OUR 2016 FELLOWS:

Julie Alcaraz Victoire-Theodora Pruvost Josquin Otal Timotée Urbain 11

JULIE ALCARAZ French-born pianist of Spanish decent, Julie Alcaraz is a multifaceted musician equally talented as a singer and cellist. Spanish music holds a special place in her heart, and she has been particularly devoted to championing the music of Albeniz, in particular his Iberia suite for piano.

Currently enrolled in the Paris Conservatoire’s prestigious Artist Diploma Programme where she works with Denis Pascal, she has worked with leading French pianists including Jacques Rouvier, Hortense Cartier-Bresson, François René Duchable, and Jean-François Heisser.

As “French Music Ambassador” to Japan for gala concerts in 2008, she has also performed in recital on tour in Portugal.

Eager to share her love of chamber music, she won the Ravel Academy’s Prize twice for performances of the Debussy Trio and Fauré’s C minor Quartet. She collaborates regularly with musicians from the Bordeaux Aquitaine and Bayonne Côte Basque orchestras and has been featured on French National Radio. Most recently, she was alongside the cellist Emmanuelle Bertrand on Gäelle Le Gallic’s programme dedicated to outstanding young performers.

A laureate of the Cziffra Foundation, she has been awarded grants by the French-American Piano Society, the bank Société Générale, and the Meyer Foundation, and is preparing her first CD devoted to works by Spanish composers with a special focus on Albeniz.

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JOSQUIN OTAL An artist who embraces a wide spectrum of repertoire, Josquin Otal’s dedication to piano came at an early age. His approach to performance is as poetic as it is technical, artistically extracting the piano’s full palette of colors. He enjoys performing works by Schumann, Liszt and Ravel; his love for dance in particular has inspired his advancements into the world of Spanish music.

Following studies at the Lyon and Marseille conservatoires, he entered the Paris Conservatoire in 2010 and studied with Anne Quéfellec, Denis Pascal, Pierre Laurent Aimard, and David Walter. A gifted soloist and chamber musician, he has performed in Spain and in leading French venues, including Paris’ Chopin Festival, Jeunes Talents, Cité de la Musique, Garnier Opera House, the Châtelet Theatre as well as festivals in Nohant, Gavaudun, and Prades. Otal is a prize-winner at many international competitions including the Rhodes Competition, the Claude Bonneton Competition, Piano Campus, and most recently was named “Classical Revelation” by the ADAMI. Josquin Otal is currently pursuing his Artist Diploma at the Paris Conservatoire, and is a grant recipient of the Blüthner Foundation, ADAMI, and the French-American Piano Society.

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VICTOIRE-THEODORA PRUVOST Born in 1996, French pianist Victoire-Theodora Pruvost began studying piano at the early age of seven. Soon after, she began studying with Romano Pallottini and obtained her Prix de Piano et de Musique de Chambre à l’Unanimité avec Felicitations du Jury. In 2013, she was accepted at the Conservatoire National Superieur de Musique et de Danse de Lyon and continued her studies with world-renowned pianists, including Marie-Josephe Jude, Igor Lazko,Jacques Rouvier, Jean-Claude Pennetier, Stanislav Ioudenitch as well as William Grant Nabore. Last summer, she participated in several prestigious festivals, including the Ferrara Piano Festival, the Académie d’Eté de la Ferme de Villefavard, Académie d’Eté Maurice Ravel, and Lake Como Summer Piano School.

In 2012, Pruvost made her solo debut with orchestra playing Beethoven’s 3rd Concerto with conductor Olivier Kaspar for the Lion’s Club Gala. She performs regularly at the piano in Riom in France, and has given recitals internationally including Italy, Germany, the Rimsky- Korsakov Conservatory in Russia, and the Victoria Eugenia Theater in Spain.

A gifted chamber musician, Pruvost also enjoys contemporary music and has worked closely with composer Thierry Escaich on ‘Nocturne’, a piece for cello and piano.

Pruvost is the first prize recipient numerous competitions, including the Concours International Scriabin Paris, Concours International d’Ile de France, Concours Flame, Concours Steinway, and Concours para Jovenes de San Sebastian.

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TIMOTEE URBAIN Raised in a family of musicians, Timotée Urbain began studying piano at an early age with Anne-Lise Gastaldi and David Braslawsky in Paris.

His natural talent for the instrument was clear and in 2013, he was accepted into the studio of Florent Boffard at the National Conservatory of Music and Dance in Lyon. During this time, his interest in improvisation and composition led him to study composition at the National Conservatory of Music and Dance in Paris with Thierry Escaich and Michaël Lévinas, where he received his Master’s degree.

In 2015, Urbain was granted a scholarship from the Erasmus Programme, a European Union student exchange educational program which allowed him to study at the Lübeck Academy of Music in Germany with Professor Konstanze Eickhorst. Timothée Urbain participated has worked with world-renowned pianists and esteemed teachers including Marie-Josèphe Jude, Jean-François Heisser, Eric Vidonne, and Emile Naoumoff.

As a versatile musician, Timotée Urbain performs as a soloist and chamber musicians, and enjoys a variety of genres including classical, French song, and jazz.

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FRENCH-AMERICAN PIANO SOCIETY Upcoming Recitals Spring Benefit Recital Thursday May 5, 2016 at 6:30pm Consulate of France in New York Marie-Ange Nguci, Piano

2016 Award Ceremony and Recital Friday July 15, 2016 at 6:30pm Consulate of France in New York Julie Alcaraz, Victoire-Theodora Pruvost, Josquin Otal, Timotée Urbain, In partnership with the

International Keyboard Institute and Festival’s Master Series Recitals Kaye Playhouse at Hunter College

Jerome Rose, Piano, Sunday, July 17 at 8:00pm Philippe Entremont, Piano, Saturday July 23 at 8:00pm Alexander Kobrin, Saturday, July 30 at 8:00pm

Fall Benefit Recital Tuesday October 25, 2016 at 6:30pm Consulate of France in New York Pascal Rogé, Piano

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HONORARY BOARD S.E. Bertrand Lortholary Consul General of France in New York

Françoise Noël-Marquis Directeur, Ecole Normale de Musique de Paris

Bruno Mantovani Directeur, Conservatoire national supérieur de musique et de danse de Paris (CNSMDP)

Gery Moutier Directeur, Conservatoire national supérieur de musique et de danse de Lyon

Jerome Rose Founder and Director, International Keyboard Institute and Festival

Susan Wadsworth Director and Founder, Young Concert Artists, Inc, New York

Hélène Tysman French pianist, Paris, First Prize IKIF 2012 MacKenzie Award

EXECUTIVE TEAM Mathieu Petitjean, Ph.D. Founder and Director, New York

Elizabeth Olson Executive Director, New York

Michele Amar Director, New York Office, French Music Export Office, New York

Gretchen Amussen Director of External Affairs and International Relations, CNSMDP

Hanyi Meng Outreach and Development Director 18

WE ARE GRATEFUL TO OUR 2016 PARTNERS Airline and Scholarship Grant Partner

Scholarship Grant Partners

New York artists’ host

Recitals Partners

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FRIENDS AND DONORS Donors and friends of the French-American Piano Society are vital to the success of our mission. Your support to our organization provides encouragement and incentive to these young artists at the start of their careers, while also strengthening ties between France and the United States.

Join our 20156 Membership Enjoy exclusive membership benefits while supporting the FrenchAmerican Piano Society’s Educational Programs Keyboard Membership $8,800 and above

VIP invitations to all recitals, signed CDs and programs, behind the scenes meetings with artists, and participation in our leadership and many activities.

Full Arpeggio Membership $2,300 and above

VIP invitations to all recitals, signed CDs and programs, behind the scenes meetings with artists.

Chromatic Scale Membership $1,200 and above

VIP invitation to all recitals, signed CDs and Programs.

Scale Membership $600 and above

Invitation to three recitals, signed CDs

Key Membership $100 to $500

Invitation to one to three recitals depending on contributions.

French-American Piano Society is a 501(c)(3) tax exempt organization.

Your contributions are tax deductible

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FRIENDS AND DONORS Keyboard Members Christophe Attard, AIR FRANCE Karen Beluso, STEINWAY & SONS

Full Arpeggio Members Lena Chang, Ph.D., CURE INSURANCE Bernard Parisot, JCDECAUX Marc-Andre Poirier , CREDIT AGRICOLE CIB Vincent Vienne, SOFITEL NEW YORK

Chromatic Scale Members Yann Coatanlem, New York, NY Pierre Cournot, New York, NY Hélène Petitjean, MD, Princeton, NJ

Scale Members Catherine and Etienne Lamairesse, Greenwich, CT

Key Members Dean Peter H. Baker, New York, NY Gérard Munera, Greenwich, CT

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Pianist Lise de la Salle and violist Kyle Armbrust gift their time and talent to our 2015 Fall benefit Recital on October 15th 2016 the Consulate of France in New York.

2015 Piano Competition Scholarship Recipients after their Award Ceremony and first public recital in the U.S., on July 17th, 2015 at the Consulate of France in New York. From left to right: Olof Hansen, Audrey Lonca-Alberto, S.E. Bertrand Lortholary, Gretchen Amussen (CNSMDP), Marie-Ange Nguci, Tanguy de Willencourt, Mathieu Petitjean

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2015 HIGHLIGTHS January to March 2015    

French-American Piano Inc. receives 501(c)3 Tax Exempt status The Scholarship Grants program is expanded to four grants 100% of the 2015 scholarship funding is raised in two months An ecosystem of Promotional partners support our cause including NJ Cure, Sotheby’s, Credit Agricole, JC decaux, Steinway Pianos, Sofitel New York, Metrowine, Logfret, MedNest  Air France become our exclusive airline partner.  S.E. Bertrand Lortholary chairs our Board and increases his pledge for the “Salon Rose” at the Consulate of France for three recitals.  Four scholarships are given to students from the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Paris and Ecole Normale de Musique de Paris

April to August 2015  Spring Benefits Recital features Thierry Vaton and Georges Granville

in “Le piano dans la musique Créole”  Olof Hansen and Audrey Lonca-Alberto are selected at the Ecole

Normale de Paris, Marie-Ange Nguci, Tanguy de Willencourt and are selected by The Conservatoire National Supérieur de Paris.  Scholarship recipients perform at the Award Ceremony and Recital on July 17th 2015  Scholarship recipients participate in the International Keyboard Institute and Festival (IKIF) in New York  Marie-Ange Nguci wins the first prize of the MacKenzie Piano Competition at IKIF, Tanguy de Williencourt receives Finalist Award

September to December 2015  Lise de la Salle and Kyle Armbrust perform for our Fall benefit Recital

on October 15th 2015  Pledges received at the Fall Benefit Recital half of the 2016 funding for the Scholarship Program (4 grants).

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Frequently Asked Questions What is the mission of the French-American Piano Society?

French-American Piano Society’s mission is to promote cultural exchange, education and networking between France and the United States, around pianists and their music*.

Are my donations tax Deductible?

Yes. We are a 501(c)(3) tax exempt organization since April 2015.

Donations are tax exempt.

Are there other initiatives?

We are currently fundraising to acquire a Steinway piano model B. This piano will be hosted ine the music room at eth Consulate of France, where we will host 5 recitals per year for the coming 5 to 10 years.

Can I volunteer at French-American Piano Society?

We welcome all volunteers—amateur pianists especially! High school and college students are invited to perform their community service hours with us during the months of May, June and July.

There are many ways to help...  By supporting our $100,000 fund raising goal for 2016  By giving of your time as a volunteer  By offering recital opportunities to grant winners  By spreading the word (Facebook, Twitter…)

Contact: contact@french-american-piano.org

*French-American Piano Society does not offer artistic management, though artists and pianists

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FRENCH-AMERICAN PIANO SOCIETY is grateful for the support provided by

Contact us: c/o Hodgson Russ, LLP, 1540 Broadway, 24th Fl, New York, NY 10036 Email: contact@french-american-piano.org french-american-piano.org 26