French-American Piano Society

in partnership with

ALICE ROSNER FOUNDATION

present

Pierre-Marie Gasnier, Piano

Rodolphe Menguy, Piano

2023 Scholarship Recital

Performing on the LVMH Steinway Piano



THURSDAY JULY 20, 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.

"At the dawn of a career that is already looking promising (...), this pianist of astonishing maturity has already won over the musical world". (Michel Le Naour - Classica Magazine, June 2021)

Rodolphe Menguy is a young French pianist born on 13 November 1997 in Paris. He began his studies at the CRR de Boulogne-Billancourt in the class of Gilles Berard and then Marie-Paule Siruguet, and obtained his DEM in piano at the age of 14. In 2015, he was unanimously admitted to the CNSMD in Paris in the class of Denis Pascal and Varduhi Yeritsyan, where he completed his studies in the

Classical Performer Diploma in 2022 after obtaining his Bachelor's and Master's degrees. He was then admitted to the Accademia di Santa Cecilia in Rome, where he studied with Benedetto Lupo.

From a very young age, he benefited from a complete training, obtaining a DEM in Orchestration at the CRR in Boulogne-Billancourt and the Harmony Prize (class of Fabien Waksman) and Counterpoint Prize (class of Pierre Pincemaille) at the CNSMD in Paris.

Rodolphe was awarded the Prix Jeune Soliste des Médias Francophones Publics 2021, as a candidate presented by France Musique. He is also Laureate 2021 of the Fondation Banque Populaire, Laureate of the Fondation de l'Or du Rhin, Laureate of the French American Piano Society and was named Révélation Classique de l'Adami in 2018. That same year he was selected to be part of the Vivaldi promotion of the Académie Philippe Jaroussky.

Rodolphe regularly performs as a soloist and chamber musician at prestigious festivals and venues: Festival de la Roque d'Anthéron, Folle Journée de Nantes, Festival Radio France Occitanie, Musicales de Normandie, Festival Pablo Casals, Opéra de Saint Etienne, Théâtre des Bouffes du Nord, Musée Guimet, etc.

A keen chamber musician, he performs in a variety of ensembles, forming a duo with violist Nicolas Garrigues and a trio with violinist Sarah Jégou-Sageman and clarinettist Joséphine Besançon.

A keen chamber musician, he performs in a variety of ensembles, forming a duo with violist Nicolas Garrigues and a trio with violinist Sarah Jégou-Sageman and clarinettist Joséphine Besançon.

Rodolphe has appeared on several media such as France Musique, Musiq3 - RTBF, Medici.tv. Through various Master Classes and Academies, he has received advice from leading musical figures such as Michel Béroff, Philippe Cassard, Hortense Cartier-Bresson, Bertrand Chamayou, Claire Désert, Nelson Goerner, Jean-François Heisser, David Kadouch, Stephen Kovacevich, Bruno Rigutto, Sir András Schiff, Emmanuel Strosser.

In 2022, Rodolphe made his debut at the Auditorium de Radio France and the Philharmonie de Paris - Cité de la Musique in Bartók's 2nd Concerto with the Orchestre des Lauréats du Conservatoire de Paris conducted by Quentin Hindley.

He released his first solo CD on the Mirare label on 12 May 2023.

Born in 1997, Pierre-Marie Gasnier is a young french pianist already experienced with recitals in major halls likes Opera of Nantes and Dijon, Cortot hall and famous festivals like Nohant festival Chopin, « Chopin à Paris » in Bagatelle Parc or Lisztomanias in Châteauroux. He also performed in foreign countries like Spain, Italy, Poland and United-States.

Since 2022, he is « Ambassadeur Pleyel» for the prestigious French piano maker’s house. This last years he has won several french competitions, including the 1st prize at the France-Amérique competition in the Excellence category in 2018, the grand prize « Alain Marinaro » with best contemporary interpretation and the public prize in 2019, the first prize and public prize of « Les virtuoses du coeur » in 2020, he is also awarded of Bellan competition, Ravel Academy and Tadini international Competition in Italy.

He graduated with a master’s degree from Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique de Paris under the tutelage of Claire Désert in 2022. He also studied at the Frederic Chopin University in Warsaw as part of an Erasmus exchange and is currently in advanced training at the Koninklijk Conservatorium Brussel in Belgium with the Serbian pianist Aleksandar Madzar.

His talent is supported by Safran, Meyer and Adami foundations. Recently, after being a laureate of the association during year 2022, he is now artistic director of the association Orphée Musique.

PROGRAM

Rodolphe Menguy, Piano

Johann Sebastian Bach (1685 – 1750) | Franz Liszt (1811 – 1886)

Prelude And Fugue in a minor BWV 543

Franz Liszt (1811 – 1886)

Berceuse S. 174

Spanish Rhapsody

Pierre Marie Gasnier, Piano

Frédéric Chopin (1810-1849)

Fantaisie in F minor, opus 49

Polonaise in A flat major, opus 53 « Heroic » 

Henri Dutilleux (1916-2013)

 « Choral et variation », opus 1

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.

THE LVMH STEINWAY PIANO

We are deeply thankful to the generous patrons

 who helped us fund our LVMH Steinway piano and make this recital possible:

Keyboard Patrons (above $10,000)

   Antoine Simon, Sofitel New York

   Dr. Hélene and Dr. Mathieu Petitjean

   Marc-André Poirier, Crédit Agricole CIB

Anish Melwani, LVMH

Full Arpeggio Patrons ($5,000 or more)

Denis Ribon, Archimed Group

Chromatic Scale Patrons ($2,500 or more)

   The Alice Rosner Foundation

Philippe et Patricia Etienne

The Staff and Employees of the Embassy of France (D.C,)

Christian and Nora Hohenlohe

Key Patrons($1,000 or more)

   Lydia Turkie

Harald Greve

French-American Chamber of Commerce (Washington D.C.)

Dr. Mitra Dowlatshahi'

Dr. Mir Farha

Claire Mittaud

Jack and Ellette Kozak

Alexander Sash

David Thoms

Judy and Peter Blum Kovler

Thomad and Deborah Silbverstein

Annie Simonian Totah

Cedric Sage

Pierre de Lucy

Caroline Pillsbury

Tamara Haddad

Rhona Wolfe Friedman and Donald J. Friedman

Anna Katalkina and Gregory Bernstein

Kimberley Heatherington

Jean-Philippe Krukowics

Garnier Thiebaut Inc.

Theodore Pary

David Kosutic

Marie Hélène et Daniel Zavala

Michele et Lucie Wormser

Maggie Hua et Stanislas Vilgrain

Marion E. Rodgers , The Hitchcock Hoagland Foundation in honor of Ambassador Phillippe Etienne

Roxana Nikdjou-van der Mensbrugghe

Edwige Dorel Torgue

Society Members

Growing …

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Please review our Code of Conduct Policy here.

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