| Didier François | |
| Birth Date: | 1969 4, df=y |
| Birth Place: | Brussels |
| Education: | 1992 – 1999, he studied violin |
| Occupation: | musician and music teacher specialized in nyckelharpa, composer and sculptor |
| Television: | VPRO NED 1 "Vrije geluiden", ARTE B. "Cinquante degrés nord", EXQI Culture |
Didier François (born in Brussels on 2 April 1969) is a Belgian musician specialized in nyckelharpa and a sculptor living in Mechelen in Belgium.
From 1992 to 1999 François studied violin with Myriam Quersin (successor to Arthur Grumiaux at the Brussels Conservatory) and composition with Daan Manneke at the Amsterdam Conservatory. He also participated in several jazz workshops with Philip Catherine, Hein Van De Geyn and Maarten Weiler.
Didier François has taught nyckelharpa at the Scuola di Musica Popolare di Forlimpopoli, Italy[1] and Akademie Burg Fürsteneck, (Germany)[2] as a member of the European Nyckelharpa Training. He conducts seminars and workshops on relaxation technique based on the Belgian violin school of Arthur Grumiaux: relaxed and fluid movements for beauty of sound, freedom of expression and avoidance of tendinitis.[3] He is also a member of the Cadence project supported by the European Commission.[4] [5]
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.
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), 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