Fourteenth year : An Academy on Ronsard in music

The Academy will take place from August 18th to 28th, 2010.

As the principal song composers have each had their turn for a session at the Academy, this year’s primary attraction is a poet. Pierre de Ronsard was famous during his lifetime and was put to music by Clement Janequin, Claudin de Sermisy, Roland de Lassus, and others. Having lost none of his notoriety during the succeeding centuries, he was honoured by the great song composers from Gounod to Poulenc, and beyond. L’Academy Poulenc presents at least once a year a concert at the Prieuré Saint-Cosme where his tomb is located, and thus owes itself to devote an Academy to him and to perpetuate this tradition. Our friends, composers Georges Boeuf, Jeff Cohen, Gérard Condé, Philippe Hersant and Noël Lee as well as younger composers Régis Campo, Jean-Louis Luzignant, and Pierre Thilloy have accepted to
compose especially for the Academy.
The students will therefore prepare one or two of these new songs for 2010 in addition to the classical repertory.
This year again, thanks to the collaboration with the Atelier Musical de Touraine, a chamber music ensemble well-known in Tours, the works on Ronsard’s poems which require one or more instruments (flute, trio, or string quartet) will be studied and programmed in concert.

Concerning the workshop itself : Each participant is to prepare 14 at least "melodies": including 1 complete cycle chosen from Francis Poulenc (minimum 3 songs), a sélection of 9 songs chosen from Ronsard's poems (which may include the collaboration of not more than four other instruments than the piano: for example the two Roussel with flute, the four Franck Martin with trio, etc.), 2 songs of living composers on Ronsard's poems among those which the Academy has commissioned from contemporary composers (they will be sent to you after your final inscription).

The concerts (see Agenda) : The first will take place the 19th of August at 8pm, with narrator Didier Sandre, pianist Jeff Cohen and François Le Roux.

All programs will be intricately composed of works with either a tiny orchestra, an ensemble or with piano(s). The final program will be decided as soon as we know the tessituras of the "stagiaires", and the available instrumentalists.

For the classes, the team remains unchanged and fully dedicated to its mission of thorough, complete study of French song. "Ever further" -with a large and loyal public, with students from the four corners of the world- such is our motto, in order to attain the land where "There is only order, beauty, luxury, tranquillity, sensuous delight" (Baudelaire).

No nostalgia, therefore, but mature energy in order that French song live long, in 2010, as well as in the years to come!

Long live French Song, and good luck to the fourteenth Académie Francis Poulenc !