Biography
Training and musical tradition
"Her musical universe is strong and colored " Marc Vignal, musicologist and critic in Le monde de la Musique.
Photo by Bernard Dauphiné
Francoise Choveaux was trained in the Lille Conservatory of Music CRD, Ecole Normale Supérieure de Musique de Paris, the Institute Peabody of Baltimore and in Juilliard School of New York. She performed in prestigious festivals in France, in Europe, in Asia, in the United States and in Brazil.
Françoise Choveaux takes up with a musical tradition anchored in the 19th Century. She is a composer but also a pianist. As of today, she has already written more than 270 opus for all instruments and all formations, from solos to symphony orchestras. And her works are performed in Europe (France, Italy, Germany, Russia, Belgium, Baltic States), in Asia and in America.
Numerous live recordings and in studio were made of her music, among which the integral works of her quartets recorded by the famous Vilnius Strings Quartet.As pianist, she stood out as an privileged interpreter of French music: the international and specialized press approved by a large majority her recordings (10 Repertoire, 5 Diapasons) of the complete works for Darius Milhaud’s piano in world premiere.
Festivals
Photo : Nicolas Lestoquoy, Françoise Choveaux, Sébastien Llinares
Germany : Promenades Musicales d’Oldenburg, Auditorium du Philharmonique de Baden Baden, Salle de Musique de Dresde…
England : Kent Musical Festival, Ramsgate Spring Festival…
Belgium: International Festival of Antwerpen, Concerts of the Brussels City Hall, Festival Rode Pomp in Ghent, International Festival of Flandres music
Brazil: Festival of Sao Paulo, Bahia Salvador, Teatro Castro Alves
Spain: Palace of Music in Valencia, Piano festival in San Pere de Rhodes, Piano Series in Madrid, Festival of Malaga, Music festival of Girona, auditorium of the regional conservatory of Linares, Barcelona Theater…
USA : Carnegie Hall, Auditorium of Juilliard School, Lincoln Center (New York), Musical Bridges in San Antonio, Auditorium of Portland, Piano Series in Boston, Pianos Series in San Francisco and Los Angeles, Philadelphia University, UCLA, Columbia University (New York), MIT (Boston), Harvard University (Boston)
Lithuania : Vilnius & Kaunas Philarmonic, National Museum, Tour in Vilnius Theaters with Vilnius string quartet
France : Notre-Dame de Paris, American Church in Paris, Brazil Embassy, Festival Ma Vigne en Musique - Narbonne, Festival Les Théophanies Rieux Minervois, Festival Les Cabardièses, Theater of Arras, Theater of Grenoble, Le Colisée - Roubaix, International festival of Radio-France in Montpellier, Nancyphonies, Musicalta in Alsace, International festival in Lille, Piano nights of Aix-en-Provence, International festival of the Touquet, Floraisons Musicales of Châteauneuf du Pape, International encounters of La Prée, Theater of Montbéliard, Aix-en-Provence Theater, Marseille Theater, Grenoble La Rampe Theater, Musée des Beaux-Arts Lille, Musée LAAM Villeeneuve d’Ascq, Musée LAAC Modern Art Dunkerque, Musée MubaTourcoing, Musée La Piscine Roubaix, La Ferme de Flagey (collaboration with Musée Gustave Courbet Ornans),
Italy : International festival of Spoleto, International Festival in Savona, Pordedone piano festival, Theater of Messin, Emilia Romagna festival, Auditorium of the museum of Napoli, Brescia Festival, Orchestra of the Toscanini Foundation
Iceland : Reykjavik National Museum
Lithuania : Vilnius Philarmonic and main lithuanian auditoriums during a tour
Portugal : Coïmbra international festival, Grand theatre of Madeira
Russia : Music palace in St-Petersburg, Gnessin conservatory in Moscow, Karely and Siberia festival, Concert Hall Novgorod Siberia, Novossibirsk Philharmonic
Switzerland : Conservatoire La Chaux-de-Fonds, Recording in La Chaux-de-Fonds
Tours in Asia : Music palace in Kyoto (Japan), Leum Auditorium, Seoul Arts Center (South Korea)…
Working with Museums
I have been working with museums for several years, on several projects :
- Composition of special pieces for exhibitions
- Composition of pieces dedicated to a particular painter
- Special concerts and performances mixing music and painting
- Recitals
Courbet Museum (Ornans, France)
2013
In 2013, I worked during a few months for the Courbet Museum. This museum is in Ornans (Doubs, France) and dedicated to the famous painter Gustave Courbet, who was born here and lived there many years.
There, I wrote two orchestral works : one inspired by Le Chêne du Flagey, one inspired by L’Origine du Monde.
I also wrote a piano album, inspired by the places near Ornans where Courbet has painted.
Laac, Musée d’art contemporain, Dunkerque (France)
2010
In 2010, this museum organized a special exhibition with Jacques Doucet’s paintings. I chose one of them and wrote a piece for piano solo, called The irresistible Cobra. I played this piece for the first time in the museum when the exhibition was inaugurated.
In 2001, for the same museum, I wrote Miniatures lyriques for piano solo, inspired by an exhibitions about famous painters in 1950′s (Hans Hartung, Alfred Mennessier…). These Miniatures was inspired by the graphism of each painting.
Arthur Van Hecke
When I came back in France after my studies in Juilliard School in New York, I lived in north of France, just near Arthur Van Hecke’s home. Self-taught painter, he was discovered by Jean Masurel, famous industrialist and collector of the North at the origin of the museum of contemporary art of Lille (LAM). From then on, Jean Masurel exposed his paintings beside Picasso, Léger… I discussed many time with him about colors, art and music.
These conversations have inspired me for many works especially two works :
• Symphony Indigo for Strings Orchestra op. 2
• Strings Quartet n°1 Souvenirs de Flandres op. 5
Recitals
- Recital at Leum Museum // Seoul, Korea.
- Recital for the exhibition on André Masson retrospective, invited by the famous Parisian Gallerist Michel Leiris // Reykjavik National Museum Island
- “Les peintres de la Monnaie” // Palais des Beaux-Arts Lille
- Piano Trytique for two pianos on Léo de Faucher paintings // Na Loba theater // Pennautier
- Exhibition of Arthur Van Hecke // City Hall // Roubaix
- Collaboration soirée Cocteau // Mischkind Gallery // Lille
Contact
francoise.choveaux@
orange.fr +33 786 519 312
