ASSOCIATION



The Association Jeune Musique (AJM), with headquarters in Fribourg, Switzerland, was founded the 19th of February 2001.

The Association has the following goals:

  • to promote 20th and 21st century music;
  • to bring together people who would like to contribute to making this music better known and developing it;
  • to encourage musicians, especially the young, to interpret and create this music.

In more concrete terms, the Association's action essentially aims at:
  • organizing cultural events involving music of the 20th and 21st centuries;
  • supporting creation, distribution and study of contemporary works by swiss composers;
  • developing contacts with other associations having the same goals, in Switzerland and elsewhere.
It is these three points that the Association Jeune Musique places at the centre of its activities. Therefore, it organizes every two years, since 2002, the International Piano Competition Fribourg and, in the years in between, concerts, conferences, music ateliers, etc.

Thus, the International Piano Competition proposes a program exclusively dedicated to the 20th and 21th century's music and is open to young pianist up to the age of 18. At its creation, it was the only competition to offer this particularity. Moreover, to give to the event an original touch, the Association Jeune Musique chooses the imposed pieces for the competition among works by swiss composers.

Contests for children and young people cannot be compared with those held for professionals which put the emphasis on the competitive aspect. The former is essentially pedagogical, giving young musicians the opportunity to play in public, hear different interpretations of the same piece, and be heard and evaluated by outstanding personalities in the world of music.

Appreciated for this philosophy, and after several successful editions, the International Piano Competition Fribourg is now listed among the well-known international piano contests.