The American Art Schools have taken up residence every summer at the Château de Fontainebleau since 1921 and are part of the American Conservatory of Fontainebleau. The latter, whose summer sessions have been attended by nearly 10,000 students, remains inseparable from the name of Nadia Boulanger, who trained an elite group of composers, such as Aaron Copland, Elliott Carter, Michel Legrand, Astor Piazzolla, and Quincy Jones.
The Etrillard Foundation participated in the prestigious events organized as part of the Centenary in 2021. In 2022, it is continuing its support for the summer sessions, where the emphasis is placed on intergenerational transmission (students share the stage with established artists at each concert), interaction with the public (walks, musical tours, mediated concerts for families), and contemporary creation (from Messiaen to living composers).
This project is an opportunity for the Etrillard Foundation to encourage the public to rediscover the Château de Fontainebleau through music, and through the creation of a web series about its history within the château.
Concert at the Trinity Chapel of the Château de Fontainebleau, 2023 © Emilie Brouchon
The Etrillard Foundation is renewing its support for the 2023 edition of the American Art Schools of Fontainebleau Festival.
From July 3 to 29, 2023, the centenary of its School of Fine Arts was celebrated. Masterclasses, concerts, lectures, and performances were on the program.
Pianists Marie-Josèphe Jude and Michel Béroff notably offered a program dedicated to dance, in connection with the history of the American Art Schools, with Ravel’s La Valse, Debussy’s Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun, and Stravinsky’s The Rite of Spring.
Concert at the Trinity Chapel of the Château de Fontainebleau, 2023 © Emilie Brouchon