L’Oiseau-Lyre onder de vleugels van Emily Beynon

Young, bursting with talent and at the start of a promising career: French flautist Camille Schneegans and Belgian harpist Josefien de Waele recently formed the duo l'Oiseau-Lyre, and have already won the 2021 Gelre Chamber Music Competition in Nijmegen. Both musicians are currently finishing their master's degree at the Amsterdam Conservatory (for the experts: Camille is studying with Vincent Cortvrint, and Josefien with Erika Waardenburg and Gwyneth Wentink). Star flautist and Splendor musician Emily Beynon (solo-flautist in the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra) gave the duo an intense masterclass, and will be introducing them to Splendor tonight. Both the classical as the more experimental sounds of these instruments will be heard in works by Fauré, Berlioz, Jean Cras and Tchaikovsky and more. Emily will also join the duo with the well-known l'Enfance du Christ' by H. Berlioz.

L'Oiseau-Lyre was founded only a short while ago, but – just like the lyre bird they were named after, which can effortlessly imitate sounds such as other birds, human voices and chain saws – the duo has ventured into repertoire as varied as baroque to contemporary music. During the summer of 2021, they took off to the French Avalon to perfect their contemporary repertoire with the Trio Salzedo. But chamber music isn't their only passion: both are also highly driven orchestra musicians. Camille was academist at the orchestra academy of the Philharmonie de Strasbourg in 2016-2017, and before that she was a member of the Franco-Germanic youth orchestra and the Hungarian Philharmonie. Josefien obtained her initial orchestra experience in the National Youth Orchestra (NJO) and the European Youth Orchestra (EUYO) where she collaborated with well-known conductors such as Vasily Petrenko and Stéphane Denève. She regularly plays with the Ciconia Concert Ensemble in The Hague, and was invited to the Chamber Music Academy in Ferrara (IT), where she collaborated with members of the Chamber Orchestra of Europe.

Programme:
G. Fauré Fantasie Op. 76
B. Andrès Narthex
P. Tchaikovsky Lensky Aria
I. Fedele Imaginary Skylines
J. Cras Suite en duo
H. Berlioz Trio l’Enfance du Christ

This concert was funded by the Gelre Chamber Music Competition, from whom the young duo was awarded first prize in September 2021.