French-American Piano Society

in partnership with

LVMH

and

LA MAISON FRANCAISE

the EMBASSY OF FRANCE IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

present

under the high patronage of

S.E. Laurent Bili

Ambassador of France

and

Anish Melwani

Chairman and CEO, LVMH USA

Mathieu M. Petitjean, Ph.D.

Founder and President, French American Piano Society

Hélène Tysman, Piano

2023 LVMH Piano Inauguration

THURSDAY NOVEMBER 16th 2023

at 7:30 PM

LA MAISON FRANCAISE

EMBASSY OF FRANCE, WASHINGTON DC

The 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. Founded in 2014 by Dr. Mathieu Petitjean, the French-American Piano Society provides scholarships for aspiring young French pianists to attend competitions and festivals in the United States, presents world-renowned artists in recital, and endeavors to promote the activities of French pianists in America and American pianists dedicated to French piano music.

Pianist since the age of 4, Hélène Tysman has travelled the world from North America to Japan, Brazil, China, the Middle East, Russia and all of Europe. She has played for the Princess of Thailand as well as for Olympic champions from the “Étoiles du Sport” annual meeting or for representatives of first peoples with ancestral traditions.

Hailed by the international press for her "warm touch with dreamy sensitivity" (The New York Times), her "extraordinary interpretation" (Le Figaro), "of rare finesse and intensity" (Télérama) as well as her "poetic" playing (Daily Telegraph), described as a "pianistic cosmos" according to the Süddeutsche Zeitung, Hélène Tysman likes to explore worlds. Beyond music, beyond her pianistic journey, she is a researcher of the Sound of the Soul (title of one of the texts she regularly writes on her blog or for French magazines such as Pianiste or La Lettre du Musicien).

A graduate of the Paris Conservatory (CNSM), she went to Germany and Austria at the age of 20 to perfect her skills with Grigory Gruzman as her main mentor. During this period, she also took part in international competitions over ten years, where she gained recognition as one of the most promising pianists of her generation. In 2010 she was a finalist at the prestigious Warsaw International Chopin Competition and won first prize at the Darmstadt Chopin Competition as well as numerous other awards in England, Germany, China and the United States. Winner of the Cziffra Foundation in Senlis, the Chopin Foundation in Hanover and the Anna-Maria Moggio Foundation in the United States, she has received support from the France Foundation and the Commerzbank.

Yet this final at the Warsaw competition leaves her with a taste of infiniteness. The call towards new horizons leads her to developing a passion for humanities, metaphysics and the processes of healing soul - body - mind. It is then that she became interested in hypnosis and trained in the Ericksonian tradition of this therapeutic approach. After creating "L'Hypnose du Musicien", she coaches and animates workshops for artists, creators as well as all audiences, thanks to hypnosis and her knowledge gained from her multiple backgrounds.

Connecting the audience to its own power of love becomes the heart of her transmission. She thus offers new musical experiences, halfway between a collective hypnosis session and a concert. The very title of her project "Prism" is an invitation to the art of seeing and travelling into the “real” through different angles. Then become the creator of our own reality.

Her solo and chamber music releases (Chopin, Ravel, Schumann...) are praised by the press. Regularly invited by radio and television, she has performed on the greatest stages such as Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center in New York, Salle Gaveau and Philharmonic Hall in Paris, City Hall Theater in Shanghai, Cairo Opera or the Neue Halle in Weimar and plays with orchestras from all over the world (Riverside Symphony Orchestra, NFM Philharmonie, Orchestre Pasdeloup, Bangkok Symphony Orchestra...).

Hélène Tysman likes to broaden her artistic horizons by collaborating with other disciplines and notably with French celebrated actors such as Francis Huster, Dominique Pinon, Jacques Gamblin, and Michel Robin. Concerned by the transmission to the young generation, she has created a show with artist Yanowski for the Jeunesses Musicales de France which leaded to a French tour for the young audience and schools all over the country.

PROGRAM

Hélène Tysman, Piano

JohaNN Sebastian Bach (1685 - 1750)  

Prelude BWV853 N°8 in E flat minor 

Frédéric Chopin (1810 - 1849)

Ballade No. 1 in G minor, Op. 23

Claude Debussy (1862 - 1918)

Prelude "La cathédrale engloutie"

Frédéric Chopin (1810 - 1849)

Ballade No. 4 in F minor, Op. 52

JohanN Sebastian Bach (1685 - 1750)  

Prelude BWV853 N°1 in C 

Maurice Ravel (1875 - 1937)

Pavane pour une infante défunte

Gaspard de la Nuit

La Valse

A plaque with the following statement is located on the cover of the piano

The French-American Piano Society

Recognizes the generous donation of LVMH and Fifty patrons

who contributed to the ACQUISITION of this piano

herein named in their honor, inaugurated November 16, 2023

The LVMH Piano

In August 2022, a gathering of representatives from the Albertine Cultural Services of the Embassy of France and the French-American Piano Society converged in Washington. Their purpose was to collaborate with Ambassador Philippe Etienne and craft a visionary plan for the renovation of La Maison Franciase's recital hall and cultural program. Buoyed by a decade of success in New York, marked by the acquisition of a Steinway grand piano, the awarding of 17 scholarships to young French pianists, and over 40 memorable recitals, the team aspired to extend this triumph to the heart of Washington. This endeavor, infused with a profound sense of revival after three years of pandemic-induced silence, became a poignant expression of resilience.

The dream that unfolded encompassed the acquisition of another Steinway grand piano and the launch of a four-year cultural program featuring recitals, scholarships, and exchanges. Its essence aimed to elevate and spotlight French pianists and the rich repertoire of French piano music in the United States. United by this ambitious vision, the team coalesced with fervor, raising the required funds in record time.

At the core of this transformative project stood LVMH, a crucial catalyst swiftly joined by Levine Music and fifty passionate patrons who became part of the "88 Keys" program, where each key was sponsored. The success of the fundraising campaign culminated in a jubilant celebration in December 2022, marked by a high-profile recital featuring Maestro Pascal Roger and his accomplished duo partner, Barbara Binet.

Fast forward to May 2023, a pivotal moment unfolded in collaboration with Steinway & Sons. Maestro Jean-Yves Thibaudet and Artistic Director Matthieu Cognet meticulously selected the LVMH piano at the Steinway & Sons Factory in New York. Though the choice among five concert pianos might typically be an intricate decision, in this case, it evolved into a "love at first sight" narrative. The piano, distinguished within a mere 30 minutes, was then showcased through an impromptu recital, revealing its delicate, rich, and colorful sonic palette.

The culmination of this journey arrived in June 2023 when the LVMH piano found its new home at the Embassy of France. A momentous inauguration followed on November 16, 2023, as pianist Helene Tysman, in a highly attended recital, breathed life into the instrument. This event not only marked the inauguration of the LVMH piano but also the birth of the French-American Piano Society, celebrated in its inaugural recital at the Consulate of France on April 15, 2014, under the enchanting fingers of Helene Tysman.

The French-American Piano Society

recognizes the generous support of LVMH and fifty patrons

who contributed to the acquisition of the

Steinway Concert piano located in this recital hall

herein named in their honor, inaugurated November 16, 2023

The LVMH Piano

Leadership Benefactor

LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton

Founding Donors Circle

$20,000 and above

The Levine School of Music

$10,000 and above

Dr. Helene Petitjean and Dr. Mathieu Petitjean

$5,000 and above

The Staff of the Embassy of France

Archimed

Mrs. Calvin Cafritz

Harald Greve and Janis Sell

$2,000 and above

Anonymous

The Bristol-Myers Squibb Employee Giving Program

Patricia and Philippe Etienne

Rhona Wolfe Friedman, Esq. and Donald J. Friedman, Esq.

Dr. David Kosutic

David M. and Susan S. Thoms

Maggie Hua et Stanislas Vilgrain

$1,000

Anonymous

Gregory Bernstein and Anna Katalkina

Olivier Bogillot

Alexandra de Borchgrave

Larry Chertoff

Louis Dillais

Edwige Dorel-Torgue

Jeannette Abécassis-Elmalem

French-American Chamber of Commerce, Washington D.C.

Stephen and Laure Fuller

Garnier-Thiebaut USA

Tamara Haddad

Marianne J. Hart and Colin R. Hart

Kimberley A. Heatherington

The Hitchcock Hoagland Foundation in honor of Ambassador Phillippe Etienne

Resources USA Inc.

Judy and Peter Blum Kovler Foundation

Jack and Ellette Kozak

Bénédicte and Jean-Philippe Krukowicz

Alexander Wolf Levy

Jodie McLean and Pierre de Lucy

Thais Mark and Sasha Mark, MD

Roxana Nikdjou-van der Mensbrugghe

Farha Mir, MD and Mitra Dowlatshahi, MD

Claire Mittaud | Theodore Pary

Nina Pillsbury

Cedric Sage

Thomas and Deborah Silverstein

Annie Simonian Totah, Founder & President of the Sami and Annie Totah Family Foundation

Michel and Lucie Wormser

Marie Hélène et Daniel Zavala

We are grateful to our 2023 patrons and partners:

2023-2028 YOUNG PIANISTS SCHOLARSHIPS

A post-COVID expansion of our successful scholarship program to sponsor (2023 to 2028) 10 talented young French pianists to attend U.S. based piano festivals, competitions and present their Debut Recitals in New York City and Washington D.C.

Code of Conduct

It is the policy of the French-American Piano Society that all attendees of Society hosted recitals, events, and associated activities are expected to exhibit respectful, and ethical behaviors.

Please review our Code of Conduct Policy here.

Report Violations of the Policy here