The Nadia and Lili Boulanger International Center holds copyright and authors’ rights of the two musicians. Its role is to preserving, enhancing and sharing their musical heritage and extending their quest for excellence in the field of musical creation, transmission and interpretation in to a contemporary environment to music lovers and performers.
Its three principle actions are:
– Organizing an International voice and piano competition every two years
– Funding of musical projects
– Making Nadia and Lili Boulanger’s musical heritage available
Background
- In March 1939, Nadia Boulanger, with the help of American friends created the Lili Boulanger Memorial Fund in Boston (Massachusetts, USA) with two aims: to perpetuate the memory and music of Lili Boulanger and to support talented musicians in memory of her.
- In April 1965, the Lili Boulanger Friends Association was created in France with the same aim: to perpetuate the memory of Lili Boulanger by promoting and make her work known, and by awarding an annual scholarship to composers or performers of exceptional artistic merit, selected by a jury of five members of all nationalities.
- Following Nadia Boulanger’s death on 22nd October 1979, a committee met with her universal legatee, Annette Dieudonné, in order to establish a foundation. A fund-raising campaign was necessary to constitute the initial endowment.
- On 26th May 1982, the Nadia and Lili Boulanger International Foundation was created and placed under the aegis of the Fondation de France. The founding members were Annette Dieudonné, Cécile Armagnac, Doda Conrad and François Dujarric de la Rivière.
- The Nadia and Lili Boulanger International Foundation, a non-profit organization has ensured the continuity of their memory and their music and has continued the program of awarding scholarships to talented musicians, under the authority of an artistic committee chaired by Dominique Merlet and made up of Narcis Bonet, Bruno Gillet, François Lesure and Noël Lee.
- For Lili Boulanger’s centenary in 1993, the Lili Boulanger’s Friends Association was reactivated. Its statutes were revised and Nadia Boulanger’s name was added.
- In 2009, the Nadia and Lili Boulanger International Foundation, under the aegis of the Fondation de France, was dissolved. Its endowment was paid into the account of the association recognized as being of public utility, whose statutes were revised and whose title was modified to give birth to the current Nadia and Lili Boulanger International Centre. Its head office is now located at 3 place Lili Boulanger – formerly 36 rue Ballu, Paris 9e.
- Benefiting from legal status, the Association organized the Nadia and Lili Boulanger International Piano Singing Competition created in 2001.
