The Etrillard Foundation is a patron of the “Research and Practice” doctoral program of the National Conservatory of Music in Paris and Sorbonne University. In this way, the Foundation wishes to contribute to efforts in interpretation, or even reinterpretation and discovery, which perpetuate the universality of European music. The scholarship is awarded to a performer-researcher who has successfully gained admission through a competitive exam to the 3rd advanced cycle – Doctorate at the Paris Conservatory. This research work must align with the Etrillard Foundation’s mission: to encourage the rediscovery of musical works and repertoires that are largely unknown to the public.
The CNSMD/Sorbonne Scholarship is awarded this year to doctoral student Marianne Salmona, who is also a supplementary pianist at the Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France, the Orchestre de l’Opéra National de Paris, and the Luxembourg Philharmonic Orchestra.
Her thesis in musicology and literature focuses on “Narrativity and interpretation: the example of character pieces for piano in German Romanticism.” She studies the work of interpretation, which is in itself “a creative act, because it provides a certain vision of the interpreted work. In this respect, the performer tells a story during the performance and can be considered a narrator,” she explains. The repertoire studied includes short character pieces by Schumann, Liszt, and Mendelssohn, but also by lesser-known composers like Adolf Henselt—works that convey a fascinating and fantastic popular culture.
Macha Kanza is a French pianist and violinist whose training initially came from the Polish piano school, under the aegis of Irène Kutin, and then from the tradition of the Heinrich Neuhaus Russian piano school, through Yevgeny Moguilevsky, at the Royal Conservatory of Brussels.
She is the laureate of numerous national and international competition prizes and was noticed and encouraged by pianist France Clidat at the age of six.
That same year, she performed for the first time in concert at the Salle Gaveau, the Salle Pleyel, and the Salle Cortot. Her prize at the Emil Gilels competition in 2009 in Odessa marked the beginning of her career. She then gave several concerts in Europe and the United States.
Her artistic development was greatly influenced by her encounters with Jean-Claude Pennetier, Daria Hovora, Ivry Gitlis, and Martha Argerich.
Her dual instrumental practice has also allowed her to embrace a broad repertoire of chamber music, to become an experienced chamber musician, and to develop a great curiosity for contemporary repertoires.
Macha Kanza made several notable appearances on France Musique, invited by Gaëlle Le Gallic, performing Rachmaninoff’s 2nd Sonata live on the piano, and then Szymanowski’s 2nd Myth on the violin, to great enthusiasm from the audience and listeners.
For 5 years, she was valedictorian of her class at the Royal Conservatory of Brussels. She obtained her Master’s degree with High Distinction in 2007, with a special mention for her performance of S. Rachmaninoff’s 3rd Concerto.
In 2004, Macha was admitted to a dual program in violin at the Royal Conservatory of Brussels, in Adam Korniszewski’s class.
In January 2020, Macha Kanza performed at the Salle Cortot, interpreting the Variations on a Theme by Chopin Op. 22, as well as Liszt’s Sonata. A month later, she released her new album dedicated to Schumann’s “Gesänge der Frühe” (Songs of Dawn), Op. 133, as well as the complete Études-Tableaux, Op. 39 by S. Rachmaninoff.
At the end of 2020, she participated in Clément Rochefort’s show “Générations France Musique – le live,” and in Jean-Baptiste Urbain’s “La Matinale” in a program entirely dedicated to George Enescu.
In September 2022, Macha Kanza was admitted to the CNSMDP for the 3rd Doctoral cycle of interpretation – Research and Practice; she will dedicate her research to the interpretation of Enescu’s work as well as to the recording of an album.
In 2021, the scholarship was awarded to Antoine Laporte, who, alongside his doctorate, is pursuing a career as a pianist.
Recipient of the 3rd prize in the 107th edition (2018) of the famous Prix d’Europe in Montreal, he was also the 2nd prize winner at the Bradshaw & Buono International Piano Competition in New York (2015), a quarter-finalist at the Jinji Lake International Piano Competition in Suzhou (China), and a semi-finalist at the 67th Wideman International Piano Competition in Louisiana (USA).
Antoine Laporte’s doctoral research is being carried out under the tutelage of pianist Denis Pascal, and his thesis, directed by musicologist and Sorbonne University professor Philippe Cathé, will focus on Gabriel Pierné’s relationship with the piano (1863-1937). Antoine Laporte is concentrating on the piano and chamber music works of the French composer, conductor, pianist, and organist Gabriel Pierné (1863-1937).
Artistic director of the famous Association artistique des Concerts Colonne, Pierné was a prolific composer and a staunch defender of contemporary French music. He was notably the creator of Debussy’s Ibéria, Ravel’s Tzigane and Second Suite of Daphnis et Chloé, and gave the first performances of Stravinsky’s Firebird and Prokofiev’s Classical Symphony (French premiere).
However, a meager critical fortune has survived him, and Antoine Laporte intends to restore visibility to this prominent figure of the 20th century and to this unfairly forgotten repertoire.
For his research, Antoine Laporte relies in particular on the archives of the Fonds Pierné, held in private hands and at the Metz media library, which consist of the composer’s correspondence, personal diaries, and autograph scores. Ultimately, the project of re-editing the work, with commentary on the sources and on the interpretation, will be accompanied by a study on the musical interpretation itself. Indeed, the work of analyzing, proofreading, and correcting the scores will help enrich the instrumental performance of Pierné’s works, a large portion of which will soon be the subject of a double album by Antoine Laporte.
In order to share this repertoire with as wide an audience as possible, but also to encourage young musicians to integrate the works of Gabriel Pierné into their repertoire, Antoine Laporte will schedule a concert tour as well as lectures on the pianistic approach to this writing.