“The Rencontres Musicales Internationales d’Enghien are a wonderful event held in a beautiful place. This festival is remarkable not only for the education of young musicians, but also for what it says about the future of our musical life.””
This testimonial from acclaimed conductor Seiji Ozawa sums up the spirit of the Rencontres Musicales Internationales d’Enghien and the key aim of the initiative: to spark encounters between gifted students and internationally renowned professors in an environment conducive to relaxation and meditation.
The Master Classes consist of 10 days of collective lessons attended by young musicians and vocalists eager to perfect their art under the guidance of internationally renowned professors.
The Master Classes offer high-level teaching thanks to rigorous selection of both students and faculty members. They all are recruited from conservatories around the world. Lessons are conducted in the following disciplines: voice, violin, viola, cello, piano and chamber music. Ten to fifteen musicians participate in each class. Every student performs, receives feedback from the maestro and observes classmates’ lessons.
The Rencontres give world-renowned artists the chance to share their experience while offering gifted students the benefit of their knowledge and instruction. They foster a new vision of music grounded in an educational and artistic approach.
Short story
For more than 30 years, the Rencontres Musicales-IMUSE have shown on the world stage as a major educational and cultural event. The Encounters take place in an eminently distinguished venue: the Château d’Enghien, located 30 km south-west of Brussels in a region known for its tradition of cultural and linguistic exchanges.
The Rencontres Musicales Internationales d'Enghien were created in 1991 by pianist Olivier Roberti. Blanche d'Harcourt participated as Artistic Director from 1993 to 2013.
Together with Paul von Schilhawsky (then Director of the Mozarteum in Salzburg), they initiated a series of concerts and educational encounters led by internationally renowned professors and intended for high-level student musicians.
Every year in late August, some 70 students from around the world attend these Master Classes at the Château d’Enghien.
Concerts feature the professors themselves, as well as guest musicians, and serve as a springboard for talented young artists.”