Didier François (born in

Brussels Brussels, officially the Brussels-Capital Region, (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) is a Communities, regions and language areas of Belgium#Regions, region of Belgium comprising #Municipalit ...

on 2 April 1969) is a Belgian musician specialized in

nyckelharpa ''Nyckelharpa'' (, roughly "keyed fiddle" in Swedish language, Swedish, , plural: ) is a "keyed" Bowed string instrument, bowed chordophone, primarily originating from Sweden in its modern form, but with its historical roots scattered across med ...

and a sculptor living in

Mechelen Mechelen (; ; historically known as ''Mechlin'' in EnglishMechelen has been known in English as ''Mechlin'', from where the adjective ''Mechlinian'' is derived. This name may still be used, especially in a traditional or historical context. T ...

in Belgium.

Studies

From 1992 to 1999 François studied violin with Myriam Quersin (successor to

Arthur Grumiaux Baron Arthur Grumiaux (; 21 March 1921 – 16 October 1986) was a Belgian violinist, considered by some to have been "one of the few truly great violin virtuosi of the twentieth century". He has been noted for having a "consistently beautiful t ...

at the

Brussels Conservatory The Royal Conservatory of Brussels (, ) is a historic conservatory in Brussels, Belgium. Starting its activities in 1813, it received its official name in 1832. Providing performing music and drama courses, the institution became renowned par ...

) and composition with Daan Manneke at the

Amsterdam Conservatory The Conservatorium van Amsterdam (CvA) is a Dutch conservatoire of music located in Amsterdam. This school is the music division of the Amsterdam University of the Arts, the city's vocational university of arts. The Conservatorium van Amsterdam ...

. He also participated in several jazz workshops with

Philip Catherine Philip Catherine (born 27 October 1942) is a Belgian jazz rock guitarist. Biography Philip Catherine was born in London, England, to an English mother and Belgian father, and was raised in Brussels, Belgium. His grandfather was a violinist i ...

, Hein Van De Geyn and Maarten Weiler.

Teaching

Didier François has taught

at the Scuola di Musica Popolare di

Forlimpopoli Forlimpopoli (; ) is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Forlì-Cesena, north-eastern Italy. It is located on the '' Via Emilia'' between Cesena and Forlì. History The name of Forlimpopoli derives from the Roman ''Forum Popilii'', most lik ...

, Italy and Akademie Burg Fürsteneck, (Germany) as a member of the European Nyckelharpa Training. He conducts seminars and workshops on relaxation technique based on the Belgian violin school of

: relaxed and fluid movements for beauty of sound, freedom of expression and avoidance of

tendinitis Tendinopathy is a type of tendon disorder that results in pain, swelling, and impaired function. The pain is typically worse with movement. It most commonly occurs around the shoulder ( rotator cuff tendinitis, biceps tendinitis), elbow ( tenn ...

. He is also a member of the Cadence project supported by the European Commission.

Performances

* Guest of

Stéphane Grappelli Stéphane Grappelli (; 26 January 1908 – 1 December 1997) was a French jazz violinist. He is best known as a founder of the Quintette du Hot Club de France with guitarist Django Reinhardt in 1934. It was one of the first all-string jazz bands. ...

, Audi Jazz Festival (Belgium). * Guest of

Gabriel Yacoub Gabriel Yacoub (4 February 1952 – 22 January 2025) was a French musician and visual artist. He was a lead member of the Celtic music band Malicorne (band), Malicorne from its formation in 1973, as a pioneer of the revival of traditional music ...

, Amsterdam, St. Chartier Festival (France). * Film music recording with

Armand Amar Armand Amar (born 1953 in Jerusalem (Israel)) is a French composer, who grew up in Morocco. He won the 2010 César Award for Best Original Music for '' Le Concert'' ( Radu Mihăileanu). Life and career Armand Amar is a French composer living in ...

for

Costa-Gavras Konstantinos "Kostas" Gavras (; born 12 February 1933), known professionally as Costa-Gavras, is a Greek-French film director, screenwriter, and producer who lives and works in France. He is known for political films, such as the political thril ...

(''Amen'', ''Le Couperet'', ''Eden à l'Ouest''),

Yann Arthus Bertrand Yann Arthus-Bertrand (; born 13 March 1946) is a French environmentalist, activist, journalist and photographer. He has also directed films about the impact of humans on the planet. He is especially well known for his book ''Earth from Above'' ...

(''la terre vu du ciel'', ''Human'', ''Méditerranée, notre mer à tous'') Pierre Aknine (''Ce soir je vais tuer l'assassin de mon fils'').

Jean-Michel Bertrand Jean-Michel Bertrand (6 June 1943 at Baccarat, Meurthe-et-Moselle – 19 February 2008 at the Hôpital Saint-Louis in Paris) was a French politician of the Union for a Popular Movement (UMP). Biography A pharmacist by occupation, Jean-Michel ...

(''la vallée des loups'')

Diane Kurys Diane Kurys (; born 3 December 1948) is a French director, producer, filmmaker and actress. Several of her films as director are semi-autobiographical. Personal life Kurys was born in Lyon, Rhône, France, the younger of two daughters. She is a ...

(''Sagan'')

Erik Poppe Erik Poppe (born 24 June 1960) is a Norwegian film director, producer and screenwriter. Poppe is regarded as one of Scandinavia's most experienced and compelling film directors recognized for his work with actors and multi-pronged narrative ...

(''Tusen ganger god natt'') * Solo live performance of ''

The Lord of the Rings ''The Lord of the Rings'' is an Epic (genre), epic high fantasy novel written by English author and scholar J. R. R. Tolkien. Set in Middle-earth, the story began as a sequel to Tolkien's 1937 children's book ''The Hobbit'' but eventually d ...

'' by

Howard Shore Howard Leslie Shore (born October 18, 1946) is a Canadian composer, conductor and orchestrator noted for his film scores. He has composed the scores for over 80 films, most notably the scores for ''The Lord of the Rings'' and '' The Hobbit'' fi ...

with Belgian Philharmonic at

Antwerp Antwerp (; ; ) is a City status in Belgium, city and a Municipalities of Belgium, municipality in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It is the capital and largest city of Antwerp Province, and the third-largest city in Belgium by area at , after ...

Sport Palace * Worked for 10 years for the Belgian

Ensemble Leporello Ensemble Leporello is one of the oldest independent theatre ensembles in Flanders, Belgium. Brussels based, and subsidized by the Flemish Ministry of Culture, the award winning group tours its multi-lingual, highly stylized and musical adaptions o ...

. * Member of the Kapsberger ensemble directed by

Rolf Lislevand Rolf Lislevand (30 December 1961), is a Norwegian performer of Early music specialising on lute, vihuela, baroque guitar and theorbo. Biography Lislevand was born in Oslo. From 1980 to 1984, he studied classical guitar at the Norwegian Academy ...

. * Member of the Belgian Baroque ensemble Zefiro Torna."Tussen kunst en kunst – Didier François & de nyckelharpa", ''

SABAM SABAM is one of the Belgian associations of authors, composers and publishers. The bilingual acronym stands for "Société d'Auteurs Belge – Belgische Auteurs Maatschappij". Their headquarters is located at 41-43 rue des Deux Eglises in Bruss ...

Magazine'' 64/2011, p. 27"Didier François – Le musicien belge emmène la nyckelharpa au-delà de ses territoires connus", Paris, ''Trad Magazine'' 124 – Mars/Avril 2009

Discography

* ''Whispered Wishes'', 2019, with

Michel Bisceglia Michel Bisceglia (born ''Michelino Bisceglia''; 4 January 1970) is a Belgian musician. He descends from a family of Italian origin. Although he began playing the keyboard at the age of 6, his formal training on classical piano only started when h ...

, Prova Records * ''Baroque Update'', 2015, HomeRecords.be (4446140) * ''Nyckelharpa solo'', 2011, HomeRecords.be (4446079) * ''Sjansons Patinées'' HomeRecords.be (4446047) * ''Double CD: Didier Francois, Gilles Chabenat – Gabriel Yacoub'' HomeRecords.be (4446033) * ''Falling Tree'' Long Distance Records (3073722 WAG331) * ''locuras de vanelo'' Artrisjok Records * ''44 duetti Béla Bartòk'', with

Marco Ambrosini Marco Ambrosini (born 1964 in Forlì, Italy) is an Italian musician, composer and arranger living in Germany. In 1982, he founded the international ensemble, Oni Wytars, together with Peter Rabanser. Studies From 1971 to 1981, Ambrosini studi ...

, Wild Boar Records (WBM 21022) * ''Alicantes'' Map Records * ''Duo Philip Masure Didier Francois'' Map Records

Nyckelharpa

François is known for his unusual technique and posture when playing the nyckelharpa. Holding the instrument in front of the chest, one is able to move both arms in a more natural and relaxed fashion. Using a violin shoulder rest to keep the nyckelharpa away from the body so it can swing freely also causes it to sound more open. Violin_bridge_on_nykelharpa

For many years François worked with the Nyckelharpa builder Joos Janssens ( Dunières) for the further evolution of the instrument. Later with the nyckelharpa and bow builder Jean Claude Condi (

Mirecourt Mirecourt () is a Communes of France, commune in the Vosges (French department), Vosges Departments of France, department in Grand Est in northeastern France. Mirecourt is known for lace-making and the manufacture of musical instruments, particula ...

), he helped with the creation of a study instrument for children. He himself plays nyckelharpas of both builders. Today Didier Francois plays on an nyckelharpa with gut strings specially built for renaissance-baroque music. it has an other sound close to the viola da gamba and therefore has the name viola d'amore a chiavi. This instrument is built by Alex Pilz

References

External links

*
CADENCE – Cultural ADult Education and Nyckelharpa Cooperation in Europe

European Nyckelharpa training

{{DEFAULTSORT:Francois, Didier 1969 births Living people Belgian male sculptors Belgian male composers Contemporary classical music performers Nyckelharpa players 20th-century Belgian male musicians 21st-century Belgian male musicians 20th-century Belgian male artists 21st-century Belgian male artists 20th-century Belgian composers 21st-century Belgian composers 20th-century Belgian sculptors 21st-century Belgian sculptors