A PRIMARY AND SECONDARY SCHOOL FOR YOUNG MUSICIANS

MUSICA MUNDI SCHOOL

DOSSIER

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MUSICA MUNDI SCHOOL GOODWILL AMBASSADOR

MAXIM VENGEROV

Maxim Vengerov, Goodwill Ambassador for the MUSICA MUNDI SCHOOLHere with Ivry Gitlis, during the MUSICA MUNDI FESTIVAL – July 2016

an die Musik

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The mission of Musica Mundi is to develop the musical and human potential of young talents from all over the world. Making it possible for these highly gifted young musicians to meet and work with other young musicians and with some of today’s greatest pedagogues and artists has a considerable impact on their capacities and their development - exposing them to other cultures, other teaching methods, helping them to gain a better understanding of music.

MUSICA MUNDI

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As part of ensembles formed with participants from other parts of the world, the musicians need to show flexibility, openness and respect for their teachers and their peers - essential human values indeed if one is to perform a coherent piece of music.

Many talented young musicians come from underprivileged environments and their families do not have on their own sufficient means to support their child’s participation in the course. Musica Mundi believes that helping them is a priority. In recent years, many of the talented young musicians attending the course have received full grants covering tuition fees and accommodation costs. In some cases, Musica Mundi also meets their travel expenses.

In this spirit, Musica Mundi has been holding each summer for the last eitheen years an international chamber music course and festival for young musicians aged 10 to 18.

Each year, the course is attended by some 70 participants from all over the world. 30 countries were represented in 2016, as diverse as Australia, Austria, Belarus, Belgium, Canada, Chile, China, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Israel, Italy, Japan, Korea, Mexico, Russia, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Sweden, Thailand, Turkey, the United Kingdom, the United States of America or Venezuela.

chamber music, human values

talent first

International Course & Festival

Maxim Vengerov with the Musica Mundi Orchestra28 July 2013 – Genval

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Petr Pause, cellist of the Talich Quartet, coaching Musica Mundi young talents (July 2012)

The Musica Mundi festival is fully integrated with the course - which means that the great performers who give concerts during the festival also contribute to teaching the young instrumentalists.

Approaching these accomplished professionals is a unique opportunity for young talents. The artists that form the great Musica Mundi family include Ivry Gitlis, Maxim Vengerov, Mischa Maisky, Menahem Pressler, Martha Argerich, Alexander Gavrylyuk, Khatia Buniatishvili, Gérard Caussé, Gidon Kremer, Steven Isserlis, Heinrich Schiff, Jérôme Pernoo, Alexandra Soumm, Ronald Van Spaendonck, Catherine Michel, The King’s Singers, Jordi Savall, Rudolf Buchbinder, Leif Ove Andsnes, Fazil Say, Julian Rachlin, Itamar Golan, the Petersen string quartet from Germany, the St. Petersburg string quartet from Russia, the Talich and Prazak string quartets from the Czech Republic, the franco-belgian Danel quartet or the American string quartet, Harlem– to name but a few.

great artists, great professors

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HM Queen Mathilde and HRH Princess Elisabeth visit the Musica Mundi Course – here with Maxim Vengerov (19 July 2011)

In summer 2001, His Majesty King Philippe honored us with a visit. In 2003, 2008 and 2013, Her Majesty Queen Mathilde granted us her High Patronage and in 2011 visited herself the course, together with young Princess Elisabeth.

Mr. Herman Van Rompuy, then President of the European Council, visited Musica Mundi in 2011 and since 2012 has granted the course and the festival his High Patronage.

Musica Mundi could not exist without the generous support of private patrons, foundations and public and private companies. Martin’s Hotels, Delen Private Bank, Robus Foundation, Piano’s Maene, La Loterie Nationale, Chemitex, Goldwasser Exchange, Fee Foundation, Fonds Jean Praet, Amade Foundation, Celio, Eastbridge, Axis Parc - to name but a few... These faithful friends are key to our success - a success now well recognized.

support and encouragements

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Mezzo TV is one of the important media partners of Musica Mundi. In 2011, during the festival, a concert with the participation of Ivry Gitlis, Maxim Vengerov, Mischa Maisky, Maxim Rysanov and Itamar Golan was captured by this channel and broadcasted several times all over Europe.

Musica Mundi cooperates with major cultural institutions in Europe.

In 2016, our students have performed in the «Foyer Concert» of the Berliner Philharmoniker. Earlier in that same year, Musica Mundi collaborated with the BOZAR Centre for Fine Arts in Brussels and the Belgian National Orchestra in a special event featuring Maxim Vengerov as soloist and conductor, Leonid Kerbel, Musica Mundi Co-Founder, as conductor and thirteen Musica Mundi young, and even very young talents as soloists.

Since its creation, Musica Mundi has been followed very regularly by journalists and media partners. During the summer of 2013, a full length documentary was produced jointly by the two Belgian television networks, French-speaking RTBF and Dutch-speaking VRT. As a result of this exceptional cooperation, the documentary It’s Magic - Musica Mundi was broadcasted in Belgium in 2013 and in 2014 and was presented in the Art Film Festivals of Montreal, Tel-Aviv, Berlin, Biarritz and Seoul.

recognition

Many friends of Musica Mundi actively participating in a musical eveningorganized by Delen Private Bank at Bozar concert hall in Brussels (13 June 2016)

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To qualify Musica Mundi’s results and level of ambition, it is also worth mentioning how our students perform in a highly competitive and demanding environment. Eighteen years of dedication, eighteen young artists.

Esther Yoo (violin, United States of America) started her lessons with Leonid Kerbel at the age of six, when arriving in Belgium. Today, Esther is one of the most promising young violinists in the world. Esther was the youngest prize winner in the tenth International Sibelius Competition in 2010 and in the 2012 Queen Elisabeth Competition in Brussels. Since 2014, she has been selected as BBC Radio 3 New Generation Artist.

Artiom Shishkov (violin, Belarus) was first prize winner of Leopold Auer and Yankeilevitch International competitions and prize winner of the Queen Elisabeth 2012 competition. He received numerous awards, among which the Spivakov award and the special award from the President of the Belorussian Republic. Artiom became one of Musica Mundi’s young faculty members after following the Musica Mundi course for five years.

Aleksei Kiseliov (cello, Belarus) has been a faithful participant in the Musica Mundi festival as a student and as young faculty member. Today, Aleksei is the leader of the cello section of the Royal Scotland National Orchestra. He is also a passionate pedagogue and chamber musician.

Leonard Schreiber (violin, Belgium) is a soloist and chamber musician, engaged by one of the finest artists’ agencies in Europe. He performs regularly with great artists such as Vadim Repin, Boris Berezovsky, Nicholas Angelich… Leonard performed as soloist with many orchestras such as the London Symphony Orchestra, the European Philharmonic, the St. Petersburg Orchestra... He participated in Musica Mundi’s alumni concert at 2013.

Our achievements

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Andrei Banciu (piano, Romania) has been a dedicated Musica Mundi participant as student and young faculty member. Andrei is today one of the most requested chamber music pianists. He is performing all over Europe, in the United States of America and in Asia.

Liya Petrova (violin – Bulgaria), first prize winner of the Carl Nielsen 2016 competition, plays regularly with artists such as Renaud Capucon, Martha Argerich, Yuri Bashmet, Yuya Wang... Liya has participated in the Musica Mundi course and festival since her early youth and later became a young faculty member.

Victoria Vassilenko (piano, Bulgaria) was first prize winner of the George Enescu 2016 piano competition. She has participated in Musica Mundi’s course and festival during several years as well as in the 2013 special alumni concert organized by Musica Mundi.

Fien Van Den Fonteyne (violin, Belgium), a Musica Mundi student since childhood, is now a young faculty members. In 2013, she was laureate of the ‘Elski’ International music competition in Minsk and, in 2015, was selected for the Queen Elisabeth Competition. In 2011, she became founding member of the well recognized trio ‘Impression’.

Stanislav Anischenko (double-bass, Belarus) won the first prize at Brno and the second prize in the ARD Competition before joining the orchestra of Cologne and obtaining the Special Prize of Strad Magazine. He participated in Musica Mundi’s course and festival during several years as student and young faculty member.

Ivan Karizna (cello, Belarus) attended Musica Mundi’s course and festival since childhood. He won the third prize in the Tchaikovsky Competition in 2011 and performed in the series Rising Stars organized by BOZAR. He is accepted as a participant in the Queen Elisabeth Cello Competition for 2017.

Several of our young talents are making headway on international platforms.

Solomon Markman (violin, Israel), now seventeen years old, has just been granted full scholarship to attend the Royal College of music in London.

Geoffroy Chapelle (piano, Belgium) participated in Musica Mundi’s course and festival since childhood. He has been granted an important scholarship to attend the Manhattan School of Music in New York.

Leia Zhu (violin, United Kingdom/China), aged only ten, is already pursuing a rich international career with an impressive list of first prizes in various competitions and is performing around the world. In 2016, during the Musica Mundi special event, Leia played under the baton of Maxim Vengerov.

Kaliya Kalcheva (piano, Bulgaria) is the winner of several first prizes in various competitions. Kaliya was accepted by the Manhattan School of Music in New York with an important scholarship.

Fiona Khuong-Huu (violin, France/Japan/USA), now ten years old, has a long record of first and second prizes in important competitions such as the Osaka International competition or the Andrea Postacchini International violin competition. Fiona performs regularly in the USA and in Europe.

Hina Khuong-Huu (violin, France/Japan/United States of America) performs regularly around the world after winning several international competitions in Japan, in the United States and in Europe. She participated in several master classes with great artists such as Maxim Vengerov, Ivry Gitlis and Alexandra Soumm.

Liav Kerbel (cello, Belgium/Israel), a student in the Musica Mundi course and festival since childhood, is now a young faculty member. Liav has performed as soloist with Maxim Vengerov and the Belgian National Orchestra in BOZAR. He was granted support by the Maxim Vengerov Foundation.

Kristina Georgieva (violin, Bulgaria), winner of many competitions, including a second prize in the 2016 Auer competition, performed under the baton of Maxim Vengerov in the Musica Mundi Special event at BOZAR in 2016. She is the winner of the 2016 Bulgarian Young musician of the year in the classical category.

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Leonid Kerbel is a violinist and violin professor. He has been first violin in several quartets, such as the Gertler, Horta or Contrast quartets, and in other chamber music ensembles such as the Arpeggione trio and the Nuove Musiche. In 2005, he founded the Trio Sonnetto. He takes part regularly in a number of festivals, performing as a soloist and concertmaster in Europe, Israel and the United States of America. Leonid Kerbel is a member of the jury for the Wieniawski competition in Poland. He is a violin professor at the Royal College of Music in London and guest professor in the Menuhin Academy in Switzerland. Leonid Kerbel gives regularly master classes in Finland, Azerbaijan, Russia, Belarus, Bulgaria…

The Musica Mundi international course and festival was founded in 1999 by Hagit Hassid Kerbel and Leonid Kerbel.

Hagit Hassid Kerbel is a pianist and piano professor, who has performed numerous concerts in Europe, in Israel and in the United States of America. Since 1988, she has devoted herself to teaching, becoming increasingly recognized as a first-class pedagogue. Her students have won several international competitions. Hagit Hassid Kerbel is a member of the jury for the International Competition for Young Virtuosos in Sofia.

WHO WE ARE

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Musica Mundi gala concert – Ivry Gitlis and Maxim Vengerov with the Musica Mundi Orchestra. 31 July 2011 – Genval

Thanks to the dedication of its two founders, Musica Mundi has grown over the years into a dynamic community of first class international performers, of faithful alumni, of generous patrons and partners – all very much attached to the values of Musica Mundi.

This network – the Musica Mundi family, as we call it – will be a very strong asset for the development of the Musica Mundi School.

recognition

friendship

collective

educationgreat artists

performance

chamber music

support

faithful

youth

creativity

future

invent

happinessbalance

balancetransmissionjoy

nature

peacegeneration

aiming high

moving forward

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With the increasing success of the course and festival over these last eighteen years, and through numerous encounters with musicians from all over the world, the co-founders of Musica Mundi have grown increasingly aware of the urgent need to offer young talents a structure where they can receive at the same time, and in a harmonious manner, high-quality musical and general educations. Hence the Musica Mundi School project - a primary and secondary school for young musicians.

From the youngest age, intensive instrumental private training will be given in parallel to class lessons in music theory, harmony, ear training, history of music, conducting, composition, orchestra, chamber music and individual practice to reach a total of four hours per day for the younger students and up to six hours per day for the older ones.

The general education lessons will be entirely integrated into the student’s daily schedule, between his/her lessons of musical education. Mathematics, science, languages, history, geography and sport lessons will reach an average of 4.5 hours per day.

Students aged 10 to 14 will have an 8.5 hours working day of combined studies, while older ones, aged 15 to 18, will reach 10.5 hours per day.

By comparison, a student would follow an 8 hours general study curricula a day in a conventional educational system, without music studies.

This particular feature of the Musica Mundi School will allow students to practice more hours a day if they wish to do so.

There are very few schools in the world offering an education comparable to that which Musica Mundi intends to provide - most of them in Eastern Europe or in Asia. In Central and Western Europe, such structures are unfortunately lacking, with the exception of the United Kingdom.

MUSICA MUNDI SCHOOL — OUR VISIONaiming high, moving forward

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Leonid Kerbel conducts the rehearsal of the Musica Mundi OrchestraFestival 2016

Many artists and pedagogues, some already part of the Musica Mundi family, support the creation of this school and have stated their intention, as master pedagogues, to assist young musicians in developing their skills.

In May 2011, during the Musica Mundi concert at the Bozar concert hall in Brussels, the great violonist Maxim Vengerov has volunteered to become Goodwill Ambassador for the school project - an honour for us and a credit to our past and future achievements.

Supported by major artists and partners

The Musica Mundi School will offer young musicians both professional musical training and high-quality general education.

– Integrated, so as to ensure that the young musicians’ personalities develop in a harmonious and balanced way.– Given independently of their socio-cultural origins and financial situation.– Designed to allow students to excel when pursuing their advanced musical education and/or their careers. – Enabling students who do not choose music as a career to go to university.

In music, this means finding the specific strengths of each young musician, whether as a soloist, or for chamber music, composition, etc.

This means harnessing the educational power of chamber music, which requires musicians to be flexible and to listen to other musicians with care and respect.

This means regularly bringing in the best master pedagogues from all over the world and giving each student a chance to work with them individually, in addition to daily teaching and masterclasses by guest artists.

In general education, this means recruiting high-quality and dedicated teachers, who are experienced and passionate about pedagogy and who understand what is needed for the development of young musicians.

A clear ambition

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Teaching young talented musicians requires specific skills which the founders of Musica Mundi have acquired through more than twenty-five years of experience.

Young musicians generally achieve results at school that are above average, because of their increased ability to concentrate and the discipline they have acquired from learning music. For such talented pupils, excellence is usually what they aim for and the primary source of their motivation.

The Musica Mundi School will be deliberately limited to 120 students, so that it provides individual, personalized teaching. Pupils will be auditioned and will be accepted on the basis of their merits.

The school will bring together children aged 10 to 18, which corresponds to eight classes – the two last classes of primary school (Primary 5 and 6) and the full cycle of secondary school (Secondary 1 to 6).

It is envisaged that all classes, except for Secondary 5 and 6, will operate from the start. The number of pupils will increase progressively, allowing for a controlled expansion of the school.

EDUCATION PROJECT

Excellence in teaching

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To support talent, and talent alone, it is essential to overcome financial barriers. Families will contribute to their child’s education in accordance with their means. Scholarships will be made available thanks to generous donors.

Students will be encouraged to stay in the dormitory. The Musica Mundi School will be serviced and supervised by adequate staff, covering musical direction, general education, administration, finances, public relations and general support, including security.

The Musica Mundi School will provide professional musical education and high-level general education.

– By avoiding pointless, tiring journeys between general school and music lessons.

– By replacing all the hours most schools typically allocate to the arts, such as music or theatre, with musical education.

– By maintaining, with sports, the right balance between courses and physical activities.

Musica Mundi students aged between 10 and 16 will work on average two hours more per day than students of the same age at general schools, including homework and music practice. Students between 16 and 18 will work on average 2.5 hours more.

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Menahem Pressler and Ivry Gitlisat the Musica Mundi summer festival (July 2016)

Mischa Maisky rehearsing during the Musica Mundi summer festival(July 2013)

Experienced instrument teachers will provide each pupil on a daily basis with continuous, individual support.

Internationally renowned master pedagogues have already agreed to give lessons at the school, including Zakhar Bron and Maxim Vengerov for the violin, Menahem Pressler and Rudolf Buchbinder for the piano, Vladimir Perlin and Jérôme Pernoo for the cello, Ronald Van Spaendonck for the clarinet… These courses, both individual and collective, would take place each month.

In addition, also once a month on average, the school will invite guest artists such as Ivry Gitlis, Janine Jansen, Gidon Kremer, Mischa Maisky, Fazil Say ... to give masterclasses to be attended by all.

The work of a soloist will be at the heart of the teaching agenda, without neglecting chamber music and orchestral music. Individual work will be integrated into the daily timetable. It will be monitored, encouraged and supervised.

Synergies will be developed with other high-level musical institutions in the world, making full use of partnerships already active thanks to twenty years of experience acquired through the Musica Mundi international course and festival.

musical education

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Classes will be taught in English and will offer complete general education from the fifth primary year to the sixth secondary year.

The school will follow the Cambridge International Examinations programme and qualifications, and will deliver a high school diploma certified by this programme.

Classes will be kept to a maximum of fifteen students. Teachers will be recruited on the basis of their experience and their passion for teaching. All possible synergies with general schools that operate in the vicinity of Musica Mundi School will be exploited.

general education

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The Musica Mundi School will be located at Fichermont, on the territory of Waterloo – a green and pleasant residential suburb with easy access via road transportation, conveniently situated some twenty kilometers south of Brussels.

Thanks to an exceptional collaboration between the Archdiocese of Mechelen-Brussels and Musica Mundi, the Musica Mundi School will be created in the former Dominican Monastery of Fichermont – a quite exceptional location indeed, part of the listed and fully preserved area of the battlefield of Waterloo where, in the aftermath of the First World War, it was decided to create a monastery to pray for Peace and for the victims of deadly conflicts, in particular those who fell in Waterloo on 18 June 1815.

The Fichermont project for the Dominican Monastery was supported by generous donors, whose names are engraved in the Salle de la Parole, at the entrance of the building.

CREATION & DEVELOPMENT

FICHERMONT

WATERLOO

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With the departure of the Community Le Verbe de Vie from the site of the Monastery, the Archdiocese and Musica Mundi have reached an agreement for the creation of the Musica Mundi School in those premises, a project fully consistent with the ideals of Peace and Reconciliation which inspired the founders of the Monastery.

Musica Mundi will uphold these values, will preserve the site and respect its spiritual dimension. Once a year, a concert will be dedicated to Peace and Reconciliation.

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With its numerous rooms, dining quarters and adequate public areas, this three-storey building over the ground floor, organized around a large quadrangle, is ideally suited to host a school. It develops some 12,000 sq. meters, allowing for the gradual expansion of the school. It has been well maintained and is in good condition. It will have to undergo some limited upgrading and adaptation, so that Musica Mundi can start operating the school in September 2018.

The building was erected during the 1930’s, with classical architecture, solid but elegant proportions and quality materials such as local stone, iron and wood. Internal features have been preserved – floors, wood panelling, doors, banisters in wrought iron... and great, old radiators.

The building

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The Fichermont Monastery is surrounded by well-preserved grounds, with a park and also a farm, a well, an orchard and vegetable garden. The Dominican Community aimed at self-sustainability - hence the farmyard with poultry and larger animals for milk and meat which was developed around the Second World War.

The Musica Mundi School will seek partnerships with landscaping and gardening schools for maintaining the grounds in a sustainable manner.

The grounds

Young talents during the 2016 summer festival

the grounds provide ample space for sports...

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the chapel – main concert hall page 45

the cloister – summer concert venue page 47

chamber music hall page 49

the library page 51

classrooms page 53

rehearsal and individual teaching rooms page 55

private quarters page 57

refectory and kitchen page 59

recreation room page 61

ROOMS DESCRIPTION

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the chapel – main concert hall

The chapel will accommodate more than 400 persons as a prestigious venue for concerts of artists and students. Its characteristic, double nave structure allowed religious services to be attended by the general public, in the secular, east-west oriented nave, and by members of the Dominican Community in the north-south nave.

The scene will be semi-circular, facing both naves. With its L-shaped structure and great acoustics, the concert hall will become a landmark for the Musica Mundi School and what it stands for.

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the cloister – summer concert venue

Thinking about Glyndebourne? about a quiet evening in the Saint-Sauveur cloister during the festival at Aix-en-Provence? Summer and classical music go well together.

Musica Mundi intends the use the cloister as a venue for various concerts and events during the summer season. Guests will be invited to sit on chairs or use the lawn...

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At the entrance of the building, the Salle de la Parole honours the founding members of the Fichermont Monastery, whose names are engraved in marble.

This large room, easy to access, can accommodate some seventy persons and is an excellent venue for conferences. It will be our chamber music concert hall.

Chamber music is essential to Musica Mundi’s pedagogical approach. Since the creation of its international course and festival in 1999, Musica Mundi has brought together, through chamber music, hundreds young musicians coming from different parts of the world, raised in different environment.

In such ensembles, musicians must demonstrate flexibility, listening skills and respect for their partners if they are to create a homogeneous piece of music. Beyond music, this has a great impact on the development of human values.

chamber music hall

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The library is a long room, full of light and peace, where students will be able to do research and concentrate. It will be an important room for the Musica Mundi School. A lot of printed material is used in music – reading from your tablet is not so convenient when playing the cello...

But, surely, we want the library to move to the 21st century, keeping books, adding screens.

library

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The Musica Mundi School will have some ten classrooms for group activities where general and musical studies will take place.

All these rooms are different and two are very special. The loggia, overlooking the outside court at the back of the chapel, will also be used as dressing room for artists before their concerts.

The colonnade room, located in the lower ground floor with direct access for visitors, will be used for masterclasses. It is a beautiful, quiet room with stone pillars bearing capitals in the Corinthian style.

Number of large classrooms – six

Number of smaller classrooms – four

The classrooms are quite special. With high ceilings and windows overlooking the park, they will provide the right atmosphere for pupils to concentrate

classrooms

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The corridors on the first floor,leading to the rehearsal and individual teaching rooms

The Musica Mundi School will use many rehearsal and individual teaching rooms. Fortunately, the building contains numerous bedrooms on the first floor, which can easily be converted in rehearsal and individual teaching rooms - just remove the beds. Some are large, others medium- or smaller-size.

A study in acoustics will be conducted in due course to identify ways of increasing the level of comfort that young talents should enjoy when rehearsing in some of the smaller rooms.

rehearsal and individual teaching rooms

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The Fichermont Monastery already offers many bedrooms, some of them larger, some smaller well-adapted for the younger students. All of them have natural light, overlooking the Great Court or the surrounding countryside. All bedrooms are equipped with a washbasin for private use.

Collective showers are already present almost at each corner of the quadrangle. They will need to be refurbished and, in some cases, expanded.

The generous space at the Musica Mundi School means that it will be easy to differentiate between quarters for the boys and for the girls, which will be located on the second floor.

private quarters

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The refectory, supported by a professional kitchen, is a spacious, pleasant room which accommodates more than a hundred persons at any given time. It is a place for getting together, for friendship, happy noise and, so we hope, for good food as well.

We pay attention to the quality of food. The founders of Fichermont wanted the Monastery to be self-sustaining. So it proved to be during the Second World War, when the orchard and the adjacent farm provided most of what was needed in times of hardship.

While we cannot set the same level of ambition for the Musica Mundi School, it is important to us that the fruit and vegetable gardens are somehow kept alive, with due respect for the environment. Because it is educational for younger generations. And because we hope that our production will find its way to the refectory, in some shape, at some point in time. A Good Food project will be developed in due course, involving partnerships with specialized schools that focus on biological agriculture.

refectory and kitchen

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2016 summer festival

On the second floor, where the night quarters will be installed, pupils will have access to a large recreation room – a place to be with one’s friends, to have a chat, celebrate your birthday or enjoy a game of ping-pong... a shelter from the rain.

recreation room

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Musica Mundi School asbl Leonid Kerbel & Hagit Hassid-Kerbel

Avenue des Marnières 21 | 1410 Waterloo | BelgiumWebsite www.musicamundi.org

Hagit Hassid Kerbel

Telephone +32 (0) 495.20.05.95E-mail hagit@musicamundi.org

CONTACT