French Connection Academy

We work to inspire and raise the quality of the Danish and French classical music environment, so we can help maintain and elevate the standard for strings and pianists in Denmark, France and the rest of the world.

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  • International summer academy in Odense, Denmark
  • 1st July to 6th of July - 2024
  • Piano, violin, viola, cello, improvisation
  • Solo-lessons, lectures, prizes, coaching
  • ABOUT US

    We invite young classical string players and pianists to an international summer academy based on a cultural exchange between Denmark and France.

    Our academy is first of all a learning environment for young musicians to improve, perform and prepare. In addition we believe in creating opportunities and concrete experiences for the students;

    Professional concert-prizes in numerous festivals, academy exchange networking, concert clothing and/or equipment will be awarded to several students at the final concerts of the academy.

    OUR TEACHERS

    Our professors are renowned artists and pedagogoues coming from Nordic countries and France and teach in prestigious institutions. String players' lessons will be accompanied by a pianist.

    Apply now

    Julia Mustonen-Dahlkvist


    Piano

    Professor and head of the piano department at the Ingesund Academy of Music at Karlstad University. She is Artistic Director of Glasfjordens Musikfestival, President of Ingesund Piano Foundation, Artistic Director of Nordic Piano Competition and founder and director of Nordic Junior Piano Competition. She has brought Ingesund School of Music to the international stage by developing the talent of young pianists into multi-award winning artists with great career opportunities.

    Hortense Cartier-Bresson


    Piano

    She is professor at the CNSM since 2011 and has tought piano and chamber music at the CNR de Boulogne-Billancourt for many years. As an established chamber musician, she has played with many musicians including Roger Muraro, Pierre Fouchenneret, Ayako Tanaka, Nicolas Baldeyrou and the Ebène Quartet. She gives masterclasses in France, Finland, Switzerland, Germany, Spain and more regularly at the UDK University in Berlin where she is a guest professor.

    Kristoffer Dolatko


    Violin

    Co-founder of the French Connection Academy, Kristoffer has decades of experience in talent development with numerous award-winning students. He teaches at Chetham's School of Music in Manchester, MGK-Østjylland at Aarhus Music School and at Center for talentudvikling i Sweden and Syddansk Musikkonservatorium - Odense/Esbjerg. This year he will be releasing his pedagogical book about violin.

    Christina Åstrand


    Violin

    Throughout her career Christina Åstrand has been a passionate performer of contemporary music. She has performed numerous works by composers of today from all over the world and several highly estimated Danish composers have dedicated works to her. Christina Åstrand is continuously making a big effort to further the appreciation of Danish music abroad and for this she was nominated for Nordic Council´s Music Prize, 2019

    Jon Dahlkvist


    Viola

    Jon Dahlkvist works as a chamber musician, teacher and project manager. He is the founder of Dahlkvist Quartet, which in 2018 received a Grammy for the best classical record of the year. The string quartet has toured extensively in European concert halls. Dahlkvist is a teacher of chamber music and viola as well as a course leader for the bachelor's program at Ingesund Academy of Music. He is also the director of Glasfjordens Musikfestival in Arvika, Sweden.

    Henri Demarquette


    Cello

    Henri Demarquette teaches at Ecole Normale de Musique Cortot in Paris and has a carreer as an international soloist and chamber musician as well as creator of parallel projects like Vocello. He has played as a soloist with orchestras as Orchestre National de France, London Philharmonic and Wiener KammerOrchester. In 2015 he co-founded a string quartet with Augustin Dumay, Svetlin Roussev, and Miguel da Silva.

    Jean-Baptiste Doulcet


    Improvisation

    Board member of the French Connection Academy. Soloist pianist, improviser and composer, Jean-Baptiste won the 4th prize at the Long-Thibaud competition in 2019 with Martha Argerich as president of the jury, as well as Modern Times prize as Clara Haskil 2019. Besides his pianists career in Europe, he has improvised his whole life for solo recitals, in duo battle, or on live movies screening in numerous festivals. He teaches improvisation in different places, among which the Liszt Festival of Châteauroux (Lisztomanias), or as an artist in residence in one of Paris conservatories.

    PRIZES TO WIN

    We believe in creating professional opportunities for our students, so concrete professional experiences and resumes are built during the students education.

    PRACTICAL INFORMATION

    At French Connection Academy (FCA), we prioritize providing a seamless and enriching musical experience for all participants. Here's a breakdown of our program happening in Odense, Denmark :

    Course Fee

    For a fee of 2,000 DKK, participants receive:
  • 3 hours of solo lessons
  • Opportunity for a video-produced masterclass
  • Daily house concerts
  • Opportunity to perform in the 2 final concerts with prize ceremonies
  • Opportunity to win prizes at festivals
  • Lectures about Danish and French culture by Catherine Lefebvre and Carl Nielsen Museum
  • Personalised string setup for each instrument by Larsen Strings (sponsor)
  • Possibility for osteopathic treatments by Aarhus Osteopati (sponsor)

  • Housing Options

    Participants have two housing options:
  • Living with other students through our collaborations with local Airbnbs (costing between 1.560-1.800 DKK per student, for 5 nights)
  • Arranging private accommodation independently

  • Meals

  • All meals are served in the canteen of Odense Symphony Orchestra.
  • Café Fleuri delivers breakfast and dinner to the canteen, while lunch is provided by the orchestra.
  • A coffee/tea station is available throughout the day.
  • Please note that the price for meals will be added soon.

    Apply now for French Connection Academy! Application dates are from February 21st to April 15th, 2024. You are welcome to apply with a video lasting 10-15 minutes (max), featuring repertoire of your choice, dated no older than one year (as of January 2023).

    CALENDAR

    Here's a brief overview of what will take place during the academy and during the year. Remember to check in regularly as the calendar is still being updated and added to.

    CONTENT

    A short overview of some of the amazing things you'll experience and have access to at the academy.

    Solo lessons


    3 x 60 min Solo lessons - Open for academy students to listen to in great locations. String players’ lessons will be accompanied by a pianist when needed.

    Daily house concerts


    The daily house concerts are private and held at the end of each day; the involvement of students is appreciated and taken in consideration for the prize-winning concert at the end of the academy.

    Concert-prizes


    Consists of a long final concert in two parts; open to public. The teacher will be deciding the program, considering the repertoire they worked with and the balance of the general timing.

    Masterclasses


    A lesson open to the public and filmed. The video will be accessible online later and will give other musicians an opportunity to benefit the pedagogical tools of our teachers and discover the students talent.

    Inspiring speakers


    With this years’ theme, Travel Tales, in mind, there will be two lectures; one about Danish and French cultural history and the second Carl Nielsen and his traveling experiences. Lastly our sponsor Aarhus Osteopati will talk to us about prevention of injuries and musicians’ health.

    Coaching


    The academy coach and trust person can be booked for a session by anyone taking part of the academy to receive guidance on subjects such as performance under stress, mindfulness and personal development.

    MANAGEMENT

    The faces behind French Connection Academy

    Apply now

    Emilie Callesen


    Co-founder & Director

    Educated Master of Music in violin from the Royal Danish Conservatory of Music in Copenhagen. Emilie already has many years of experience with boards and finance committees in various contexts (schools, festivals etc.), as well as initiating and founding the Conservatory Students Joint Council. In addition, she has experience in engaging volunteers for democratic events in addition to her musical talents.

    ecd@frenchconnectionacademy.com

    Kristoffer Dolatko


    Co-founder & Educational Leader

    Denmarks very own talent developer for young classical violinists. Kristoffer teaches many talented and award-winning students in Aarhus, Esbjerg, Vänersborg (SE), Manchester (UK), in addition to his presence and management of international masterclasses and competitions. In other words, Kristoffers pedagogical experience is of great importance to French Connection Academy.

    kdolatko@frenchconnectionacademy.com

    Jean-Baptiste Doulcet


    Co-founder & International Relations

    Soloist, chamber musician, composer, improviser and accompanist - as we say in Denmark: "A dear child has many names". Jean-Baptiste uses his frequent concert business and network to bring French sponsors and collaborators to the academy.

    jbd@frenchconnectionacademy.com

    OUR COLLABORATORS

    The academy would not be possible without the help of a wide range of persons and institutions. In this section we celebrate and honour of collaborators. A huge thank you for your generosity.

    Carl Nielsen Legat

    FUNDING

    https://nielsen-legat.dk

    William Demant Fonden

    FUNDING

    https://www.williamdemantfonden.dk

    Gourdon Fonds

    FUNDING

    https://gourdonfonds.com

    Safran Fondation pour la musique

    FUNDING

    https://safran-group.com

    Syddansk Musikkonservatorium

    PRIZE-COLLABORATOR

    https://www.sdmk.dk

    Odense Musikskole

    COLLABORATION AND LOCATION

    https://www.odensemusikskole.dk

    Academie Internationale D´ete de Nice

    PRIZE-COLLABORATOR

    https://www.mymusicampus.fr

    Naturfrisk

    SPONSOR

    https://naturfrisk.dk

    Larsen Strings

    SPONSOR

    https://larsenstrings.com

    Bam Cases

    SPONSOR AND PRIZE-COLLABORATOR

    https://eu.bamcases.com/

    Jardin Musical

    PRIZE-COLLABORATOR

    https://www.jardinmusical.org

    Frederikskirken

    PRIZE-COLLABORATOR

    https://frederikskirkenparis.dk

    Det Franske Kulturcenter i Danmark

    FUNDING AND PRIZE-COLLABORATOR

    https://institutfrancais.dk/fr

    G'Vine

    SPONSOR

    https://g-vine.com/fr/

    Maison Villevert

    FUNDING

    https://www.maisonvillevert.com

    ODENSE SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA

    LOCATION AND ADMINISTRATIVE SUPPORT

    https://odensesymfoni.dk/koncerter/

    Pianoteket

    SPONSOR

    https://pianoteket.dk

    Odense Kommune

    SPONSOR

    https://www.odense.dk

    Luther Pierre Barthel

    SPONSOR

    https://www.pierrebarthel.com

    Salute

    SPONSOR

    www.salutevin.dk

    Skovgaard Guldsmed & Urmager

    SPONSOR

    www.skovgaardguld.dk

    Aarhus Osteopati

    SPONSOR

    www.aarhusosteopati.dk

    A.C. Perch’s Thehandel

    SPONSOR

    https://perchs.dk/odense/

    Contact us

    All our contact information, gathered under one roof. Feel free to reach out to us if you have any questions.

    CONTACT INFORMATION

    French Connection Academy

    +33 (0) 7 83 88 11 27

    apply@frenchconnectionacademy.com

    sponsor@frenchconnectionacademy.com

    collab@frenchconnectionacademy.com

    voluntary@frenchconnectionacademy.com

    Working time at 09:00am - 06:00pm

    Social media

    Articles of Association

    c/o Linda Callesen, Sølvstenvej 21, 8450 Hammel, Denmark

    CVR-Nr.: 42409065

    © 2024 French Connection Academy.

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