FRENCH-AMERICAN PIANO SOCIETY

in partnership with

THE EMBASSY OF FRANCE IN WASHIGTON D.C.

LA MAISON FRANCAISE

and

THE SAFRAN CORPORATE FOUNDATION FOR MUSIC

presentS

Anna Pierre, Piano

Virgile Roche, Piano

2026 Scholarship Recipients

Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique et de Danse de Paris

U.S. Debut Recital

Performing on the LVMH Steinway Piano

“Echoes of Farewell and Fantasy”

THURSDAY, JULY 9 2026 at 7:30PM

LA MAISON FRANCAISE

EMBASSY OF FRANCE, WASHINGTON DC

THE YOUNG PIANISTS SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM

The Young Pianists Scholarship Program, spearheaded by the French-American Piano Society, is a distinguished initiative aimed at nurturing the next generation of French piano virtuosos for U.S. audiences. This program offers exceptional young pianists an invaluable opportunity to advance their international presence and experience. Selected scholars from the Conservatoire National de Paris benefit from access to world-class performance venues at the Consulate of France in New York and the Embassy of France in Washington, D.C., where they are exposed to and meet curious and supportive U.S. audiences.

The National Conservatory of Music and Dance of Paris (CNSMDP)

The National Conservatory of Music and Dance of Paris (CNSMDP) is a prestigious institution, globally recognized for its excellence in training musicians, dancers, and other performing arts professionals. Founded in 1795, the Conservatory has established itself as one of the most influential schools in the arts field in France and internationally, ranking as the 3rd best performing arts school in the world according to the QS International Performing Art Ranking 2024.

Each year, the CNSMDP trains around 1,300 students through personalized and rigorous instruction, provided by a faculty composed of world-renowned artists and educators. The winners of the extremely selective admission competitions benefit from top-tier training that prepares them for brilliant careers on international stages.

The Conservatory stands out for its commitment to research, innovation, and artistic experimentation, promoting the emergence of new practices and a diversity of approaches. Its students regularly have the opportunity to perform in concerts, shows, and masterclasses, thereby enriching their experience and contributing to the cultural life of Paris and the international reputation of the institution.

Moreover, the CNSMDP plays a key role in international cooperation by establishing partnerships with other major artistic institutions around the world. A notable example of this collaboration is with the French-American Piano Society, which annually invites two CNSMDP students to perform in the United States, thereby enhancing their visibility and professional network.

The National Conservatory of Music and Dance of Paris, a true crucible of talent and innovation, combines tradition and modernity to train the artists of tomorrow. Its commitment to excellence and diversity makes it a unique place of creation, where the contours of future art are shaped. With a rich history and a promising future, the CNSMDP continues to inspire and train the artists who will mark future generations.

Born in Paris into a family of musicians, Anna Pierre began playing the piano at a very young age. She first studied with Paul-Henri Florès at the Conservatoire of Paris’s 6th arrondissement, before entering the Conservatoire à Rayonnement Régional (CRR) of Paris in the class of Anne-Lise Gastaldi.

This training, characterized by its openness, allowed her to explore connections between music and other art forms such as literature, painting, and poetry, in relation to composers of the same period.

She also developed a strong interest in contemporary music, working with composers such as Gérard Pesson and Jean-Michel Ferran, and studying their works. In 2021, she was awarded her Diplôme d’Études Musicales with unanimous distinction from the jury.

Admitted to the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique et de Danse de Paris in February 2023, she currently studies in the class of Florent Boffard. Alongside her studies there, Anna is actively involved in accompaniment, studying with Claude Collet at the Conservatoire of Paris’s 13th arrondissement.

In March 2025, she was awarded Third Prize at the 13th International Piano Competition Les Virtuoses du Coeur. That same month, she made her orchestral debut performing Poulenc’s Concerto for Two Pianos with Ensemble Pluralis at the CMA13.

Deeply passionate about chamber music and particularly open to contemporary repertoire, she has formed since 2024 a trio for clarinet, piano, and percussion. As part of a recital project, the ensemble performed a work by Bruno Mantovani; inspired by the originality of their instrumentation and the joy of collaborating, they have since sought to commission new works and explore new musical horizons.

In June 2025, Anna took part in the opening day of the Chopin Festival in Paris at the Parc de Bagatelle. She gave her first solo recital in July of the same year as part of the Les Spiriades festival in La Frette-sur-Seine.

   Virgile Roche is one of the most versatile pianists of today's young European scene. He was admitted at the age of 17 to the Paris Conservatory, where he has earned 8 degrees in Piano (with Marie-Josèphe Jude, Jonas Vitaud and Emmanuel Strosser), Chamber Music, Collaborative Piano, Lied and Melody, Harmony, Counterpoint, XXth-XXIst Century Writing, and Orchestration. In parallel, he also studied with Nelson Goerner in Geneva, and with Frank Braley and Avedis Kouyoumdjian at the Queen Elisabeth Music Chapel (Belgium). He’s now based in Berlin where he’s perfecting his skills with Gottlieb Wallisch at the University of Arts (UdK).

  He's been awarded numerous international prizes and awards on four continents, both as a soloist and as a chamber musician, is a laureate of the Banque Populaire and l’Or du Rhin Foundations, and he won the Safran Foundation Prize 2020. He performs regularly at important festivals and venues in Europe and abroad (USA, Japan, UAE, Australia...) as a soloist, with orchestras (recently the Belgian National Orchestra or the Liège Chamber Orchestra) and as a chamber musician. His two first CDs will be released in the coming months: one devoted to sonatas for cello and piano by Rachmaninov and Croatian composer Dora Pejačević, the other to Fauré’s second piano quartet.

  In 2026, he is invited to perform in France, Germany, Italy, Morocco, Spain, Portugal, Slovenia, the USA… In May, he’ll premiere a new piece for 2 pianos - 8 hands by French composer Olivier Penard. In July, he’ll make his debut recitals at Carnegie Hall (Weill Hall) in New York and at the Embassy of France in Washington, D.C. as the 2026 laureate of the French-American Piano Society. In November, he’ll play Bartók 3rd Piano Concerto for the first time with Simone Menezes and the Paris Conservatoire Orchestra.

PROGRAM

Echoes of Farewell and Fantasy

Echoes of Farewell and Fantasy brings together two distinguished young pianists, Anna Pierre and Virgile Roche, in a program exploring memory, poetry, intimacy, and virtuosity across three centuries of piano literature.

From the emotional depth of Ludwig van Beethoven’s Les Adieux Sonata to the refined elegance of Maurice Ravel’s Sonatine, the recital traces a rich spectrum of musical expression. The passionate lyricism and dramatic contrasts of Johannes Brahms’s Two Rhapsodies reveal the intensity of the late Romantic piano tradition.

In the second half, Johann Sebastian Bach’s monumental Toccata in G Minor opens a journey into imagination and color.The shimmering soundscapes of Claude Debussy’s Images, Book II evoke bells, moonlit temples, and golden fish through extraordinary harmonic invention. A moment of profound serenity follows in Franz Schubert’s song Du bist die Ruh, transformed by Franz Liszt into a deeply expressive piano meditation.

The program culminates in Liszt’s dazzling Réminiscences de Norma, inspired by Vincenzo Bellini’s celebrated opera. Combining operatic drama, pianistic brilliance, and lyrical introspection, the work stands as one of the great paraphrases of the Romantic era.

Throughout the evening, themes of departure, remembrance, dream, and transformation resonate across contrasting musical languages and styles. This recital celebrates the piano as both a voice of intimate reflection and a vehicle for transcendent imagination.

Anna Pierre

Performing on the LVMH Steinway Piano

Ludwig van Beethoven (1770–1827)

Piano Sonata No. 26 in E-flat Major, Op. 81a, “Les Adieux” (1809–1810)
Key: E-flat Major

I. Das Lebewohl (The Farewell)
II. Abwesenheit (Absence)
III. Das Wiedersehen (The Return)

Maurice Ravel (1875–1937)

Sonatine (1903–1905)
Key: F-sharp Minor

I. Modéré
II. Mouvement de menuet
III. Animé

Johannes Brahms (1833–1897)

Two Rhapsodies, Op. 79 (1879)

No. 1 in B Minor
No. 2 in G Minor

~ INTERMISSION ~

Virgile Roche

Performing on the LVMH Steinway Piano

Johann Sebastian Bach (1685–1750)

Toccata in G Minor, BWV 915
Key: G Minor

Claude Debussy (1862–1918)

Images, Book II (1907)

1. Cloches à travers les feuilles

2. Et la lune descend sur le temple qui fut

3. Poissons d’or

Franz Schubert (1797–1828) / Franz Liszt (1811–1886)

“Du bist die Ruh,” S. 558 No. 3
(after Schubert)
Key: E-flat Major

Franz Liszt (1811–1886)

Réminiscences de Norma, S. 394
Based on themes from Vincenzo Bellini’s 1831 opera Norma (Composed c. 1841)

We are grateful to our 2026 patrons and partners:

2023-2028 YOUNG PIANISTS SCHOLARSHIPS

A post-COVID expansion of our successful scholarship program to sponsor (2023 to 2028) 10 talented young French pianists to attend U.S. based piano festivals, competitions and present their Debut Recitals in New York City and Washington D.C.

THE LVMH STEINWAY PIANO

We are deeply thankful to the generous patrons

 who helped us fund our LVMH Steinway piano and make this recital possible:

Keyboard Patrons (above $10,000)

   Antoine Simon, Sofitel New York

   Dr. Hélene and Dr. Mathieu Petitjean

   Marc-André Poirier, Crédit Agricole CIB

Anish Melwani, LVMH

Full Arpeggio Patrons ($5,000 or more)

Denis Ribon, Archimed Group

Chromatic Scale Patrons ($2,500 or more)

   The Alice Rosner Foundation

Philippe et Patricia Etienne

The Staff and Employees of the Embassy of France (D.C,)

Christian and Nora Hohenlohe

Key Patrons($1,000 or more)

   Lydia Turkie

Harald Greve

French-American Chamber of Commerce (Washington D.C.)

Dr. Mitra Dowlatshahi'

Dr. Mir Farha

Claire Mittaud

Jack and Ellette Kozak

Alexander Sash

David Thoms

Judy and Peter Blum Kovler

Thomad and Deborah Silbverstein

Annie Simonian Totah

Cedric Sage

Pierre de Lucy

Caroline Pillsbury

Tamara Haddad

Rhona Wolfe Friedman and Donald J. Friedman

Anna Katalkina and Gregory Bernstein

Kimberley Heatherington

Jean-Philippe Krukowics

Garnier Thiebaut Inc.

Theodore Pary

David Kosutic

Marie Hélène et Daniel Zavala

Michele et Lucie Wormser

Maggie Hua et Stanislas Vilgrain

Marion E. Rodgers , The Hitchcock Hoagland Foundation in honor of Ambassador Phillippe Etienne

Roxana Nikdjou-van der Mensbrugghe

Edwige Dorel Torgue

Society Members

Growing …

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