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Spotlight on Maxime Dayre, winner of the Safran Foundation for Music Prize
The 14th edition of the Safran Foundation for Music competition was held on October 3. Under the spotlights at the La Scala concert hall in Paris, six talented young guitarists from Master's from the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique et de Danse (CNSMD) of Paris went up against each other. Maxime Dayre emerged victorious at the end of the evening. We put the spotlight on the winner.
Musicality, technique and new discoveries on the program
With Safran CEO Oliver Andriès watching on, the young talents played, in addition to their chosen compositions, a set piece: the 5 impromptus of Richard Rodney Bennett, selected by the Chairman of the panel Christian Rivet.
This relatively unknown work allowed the panel to assess the musicians on all aspects of their playing, the idea being to not focus on the technical complexity of the piece at the expense of its musicality.
For the first time this year, one candidate even played one of their own compositions!
Who is Maxime Dayre, the 2022 winner?
The panel, comprised of four professionals from the music world, acknowledged the 29-year-old musician for his performance of the third movement of Léo Brouwer's El Décameron Negro, entitled "Ballad of the Maid in Love" (listen at the bottom of the page), one of his chosen pieces.
Maxime began playing the guitar at age 13 and spent many years moving between the classical repertoire at the Conservatoire à Rayonnement Régional (CRR) in Toulouse and modern music, obtaining a degree in musicology with a jazz specialty.
With a degree in music studies to his name, he devoted himself to classical guitar in greater depth by joining Olivier Chassain's class at the PESMD school in Bordeaux, then earning a Master's from the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique et de Danse (CNSMD) in Paris alongside Tristan Manoukian.
This remarkable and eclectic musician also branched out into education by providing lessons at the municipal conservatory in the 11th district of Paris and to people with a disability at the Conservatoire de Musique et d’Expressions Artistiques (CMEA) association.
And afterwards?
After the Award, the winner received a €5,000 prize from the Foundation, which will continue supporting him, providing a valuable springboard for his career as a professional musician. Like many other artists backed by the Foundation, Maxime will for example be able to apply for a scholarship or funding to prepare for a recording.
The Safran Corporate Foundation for Music formed an educational partnership with the CNSMDP to present this competition for the third year in a row.
Listen to Maxime Dayre's performance at La Scala below.
Maxime Dayre, lauréat du Prix Fondation Safran pour la Musique
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