FRANÇAIS
Headquarters: 20 rue de l'Élysée, 75008 Paris, France
+33 (0) 7 49 27 06 19
ABOUT US
Our roots
Les Voix d'Orphée is a registered international non-profit association created in 2019 and based in Paris, France.
It was conceived by Ammiel Bushakevitz, Laetitia Grimaldi and Cécile Andries with the aim of extending the influence of music and arts internationally at different levels:
● Education, in particular by setting up intercultural projects concerning artistic creations
and musical encounters,
● Dissemination, with the aim of highlighting little-known works by past or contemporary women composers; and creating spaces for cultural exchange with access to recording studios,
● Sponsorship, to support festivals, schools and music ensembles internationally and specifically in developing countries; to assist in the acquisition or loan of musical instruments and to facilitate grants to assist young talent.
THE TEAM
The faces behind our non-profit association Les Voix d'Orphée
LADY FELICITY LOTT
Honorary President
Dame Felicity Lott is one of Britain’s best-loved sopranos. In opera, her portrayals of the Strauss and Mozart roles in particular have led to critical and popular acclaim worldwide. Her concert engagements have taken her to the major orchestras, working with Rattle, Haitink, Mehta, Previn, Masur, Welser-Möst, Sawallisch and Sir Andrew Davis. Much of her concert and recital repertoire is recorded, as are many of her great operatic roles: from her wonderful Marschallin under Carlos Kleiber to her Belle Helene, with which she enchanted the Parisians when she sang the role for the first time at the Chatelet in Paris in 2000. A founder member of The Songmakers’ Almanac, Felicity has appeared on the major recital platforms of the world and in June 2005 she celebrated the 30th anniversary of her recital debut at the Wigmore Hall, with whom she has a particularly close association and received the Wigmore Hall Medal in 2010 for her exceptional contribution to the hall.
AMMIEL BUSHAKEVITZ
Artistic Director
Born in Jerusalem, Israel and raised in South Africa, Ammiel Bushakevitz performs regularly as a pianist at notable venues across Europe, North America, Africa, Asia and Australia. Ammiel's discography includes recordings with critical acclaim and 5-star reviews on labels such BIS (Sweden), Hänssler Classics (Germany), SOLFA (Spain) and Pentatone (the Netherlands). Passionate about education, Ammiel has been invited to present masterclasses at the University of Queensland (Australia), the University of Barcelona (Spain), the Sichuan Conservatory (China), the Victoria University National School of Music (New Zealand) and the University of Northern Colorado (USA). He regularly offers masterclasses to young pianists at the Jerusalem Music Academy in Israel. Ammiel also dedicates time annually to mentoring aspiring young musicians in developing countries including Ethiopia, Mexico, China, Morocco and Zimbabwe. Ammiel is a member of the Société des Arts Sciences et Lettres de Paris an honorary member of the International Richard Wagner Society and Edison Fellow of the British Library, London.
CECILE ANDRIES
Holder of a degree in German Language, Literature and Foreign Civilization from the University of Paris III - Sorbonne Nouvelle, including an Erasmus year, spent at the University of Vienna (Austria) where she discovered the world of classical music, Cécile Andries then obtained a Franco-German master's degree in cultural mediation and international communication from the University of Nantes. She carried out her first assignments with Le Bureau Export (French Music Export Office) in Berlin before continuing at the Cultural Department of the Sacem and at the Music Academy of Villecroze.
CAMPAIGNS AND PROJECTS
It is by understanding the immense and exciting challenges facing our society, and through multiple campaigns and programs, that Les Voix d'Orphée is committed to nurturing lasting results. While our efforts are all directed towards a single goal, we are widening our field of action towards other progressive strategies with our partners in Europe, Asia and Africa.
THE FRANCO-GERMAN YOUTH ORCHESTRA
29/07/2023 – 06/08/2023
This Franco-German project, aimed at young amateur musicians, promotes the sharing of the two cultures through classical music and linguistic exchange. The Association Les Voix d'Orphée, in partnership with the AMJ (Arbeitskreis Musik in der Jugend e. V, Wolfenbüttel, Lower Saxony), offers a music camp allowing young people to perform as an orchestra in the small town of Bad Liebenzell in the heart of the Black Forest. They will have the opportunity to work on a new repertoire which will be presented to the public during a concert at the end of the stay.
Project in partnership with the AMJ Arbeitskreis Musik in der Jugend
With the support of OFAJ (French-German Office for youth exchanges)
SAVE THE KRUIPER SAN COMMUNITY
An urgent project to save the Kruiper San community from serious threats posed by the coronavirus and the associated lockdown by the South African government. The Kruiper San live in the barren Kalahari Desert and depend almost entirely on tourism to survive. They have limited access to masks, sanitation and soap. In addition, their supply of fresh water is extremely limited.
A project in association with the Breytenbach Centre.
THE SCHUBERT 200 PROJECT
Samuel Hasselhorn & Ammiel Bushakevitz
The years 2023-2028 mark the 200th anniversary of the five last years of Franz Schubert. This leads up to the 200th anniversary of Schubert’s death on 19 November 2028. In order to pay homage to this important event, the baritone Samuel Hasselhorn and pianist Ammiel Bushakevitz are planning a multi-genre international project titled “SCHUBERT 200”, which focuses on a series of 5 concert programs, each representing Lieder that Schubert composed exactly 200 years previously. These concert programs will also be recorded by the legendary label Harmonia Mundi, culminating in a collector’s box set.
The project goal is to create a wider audience for Lieder through concert performances internationally, multimedia integration, masterclasses on different continents, podcasts in different languages, music videos and mini-documentaries, children’s books and radio broadcasts internationally. The “SCHUBERT 200” project will be aimed specifically at a new, young generation of Lieder enthusiasts: the audience of the future.
ZIMBABWE ACADEMY OF MUSIC
Since Sir John Barbirolli laid the foundation stone on 30 June 1953, the Academy has been at the centre of musical life in Zimbabwe. However, the academy is currently struggling. Zimbabwean Senator David Coltart called the Academy “a jewel in the crown of our country, a vital force in cultural education”, but he added that “like so many of our once strong institutions, it hangs by a thread”.
Les voix d'Orphée aims to help with the following funding: the provision of desks for examination purposes, an electricity supply to the outdoor performance area and extractor fans for the air-conditioning system.
Project in partnership with the Zimbabwe Academy of Music
Are you interested in our projects and would you like to support us?
Join our association and help us make a difference through music and the arts!
It is simple: fill in the membership form together with your subscription fee - online or by post.
CONTACT
Headquarters : 20 rue de l'Élysée, 75008 Paris, France
+33 (0) 7 69 32 4800
Follow us on Facebook