Swiss Global Artistic Foundation

Dear Friends, Supporters and Sponsors,

When the former Anglo-Suisse Artistic Foundation decided to modify its name two years ago to Swiss Global Artistic Foundation, it was to better reflect the increasing international reach, widening activities and ambitions of the organisation.

As the Foundation prepares to celebrate its tenth year of operation in 2009, this current year has already demonstrated that the name change was indeed justified, and will be underlined in the coming months by a wide-ranging series of events on a truly international canvas.

Firstly though, a quick flash-back to the earlier part of the year, when highlights included memorable concerts in London, New York, the Hamptons and in Switzerland.

The London event was our now traditional private viewing concert and reception at Christie's. In New York we presented a sold-out concert in association with the National Arts Club, at their historic premises on Gramercy Park, while in East Hampton, our collaboration with the Benefit Concert of the Playhouse Project helped raise funds to support performing arts students throughout the South Fork region.

In Switzerland we staged another successful edition of our annual series of four-day Jours des Arts festivals, on this occasion at Glion/Montreux, where we were delighted to be joined by a large contingent of arts enthusiasts from Australia.

Our autumn and winter season has already started. In England, in late August, we participated with Cala Records in recording a unique addition to Cala's renowned The London Sound Series, in the form of an ensemble of 16 leading harpists. The CD will appear in two versions: one entitled The London Harp Sound and the other Baby Harp, aimed especially at orienting children towards classical music at an early age. On 4 September, in Australia, the Foundation sponsored a very successful concert at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music, given by baritone Thomas Weinhappel and pianist Stephen Delaney.

On Wednesday, 1 October, another prestigious venue, the Athenaeum Club in London, of which Heather de Haes is a member, will host, in collaboration with Desmond Cecil and the Music Committee, a recital by the brilliant young cellist Sol Gabetta.

Three successive events then underline our commitment to furthering the careers of exceptional young artists on an international scale. In Palma de Mallorca, Spain, we are supporting a concert on Friday, 10 October, to be given by the Orquestra Simfònica de Balears "Ciutat de Palma" under the baton of our Artistic Director Geoffrey Simon and with our guitarist Jacob Cordover as soloist. The concert will also feature the World Premiere of Cala Tuent, a symphonic poem about one of Mallorca's most remote and magically beautiful bays, composed by the Foundation's Advisory Board member Barry Conyngham and commissioned by one of our Patrons, Don Pedro Serra.

Just two days later, on Sunday, 12 October in Eastbourne, England, we are sponsoring the first appearance with the London Philharmonic Orchestra of the virtuoso Swiss pianist Louis Schwizgebel-Wang, who is now building an impressive international reputation. Then, on Tuesday, 14 October at the Arts Club in Dover Street, London, in association with Merrill Lynch, we are pleased to present three highly talented young artists, Amir Farid piano, Laurence Meikle baritone and Claire Jones harp.

On Friday, 7 November in Brisbane, Australia, Geoffrey Simon will conduct The Queensland Orchestra in the Australian premiere of Barry Conyngham's Cala Tuent. In a second concert with this orchestra, on Friday, November 14, Geoffrey and the Swiss Global Artistic Foundation will present for the first time in Australia the brilliant young Korean violinist, Hahn Bin. Then, on Sunday, 23 November, Geoffrey and Barry will give the Hong Kong premiere of Cala Tuent with the Pro Arte Orchestra of Hong Kong, at a concert which will feature one of the Foundation's young artists in a concerto performance.

In Switzerland, two exceptionally interesting events stand out at the beginning of December. On Thursday, 4 December we will present a recital by a trio made up of three of the most eminent members of Lausanne's medical profession: Jean-Blaise Wasserfallen flute, François Spertini viola and Jean-Paul Dépraz cello. The three consultants are avid music makers in the limited time available to them away from their busy professional activities, and we are honoured that they have agreed to perform for the first time in public under the Foundation's auspices, in aid of a children's charity. The programme will include music by Roussel, Giordani and von Call, and our public relations advisor, Michael Green, will give a short talk on the life and achievements of the French composer Albert Roussel, now the subject of much renewed public interest. The location of the concert will be communicated to you with a personal invitation.

Then on Wednesday, 10 December at the Beau Rivage Palace, Lausanne, we will present a gala concert and reception to officially inaugurate the recent acquisition by the Foundation of The Evangelists, the world's only matched set of string quartet instruments by a master maker -- in this instance France's leading luthier Jean-Baptiste Vuillaume, who crafted the set in Paris in 1861, with wood from the same tree. The Evangelists have been held in a private collection and not heard publicly for the past 35 years. This will truly be an evening to savour, and again, an individual invitation will be sent to you. We look forward to sharing this significant event with you.

2009 is our tenth anniversary year. We will begin in Switzerland with the continuation, in January, of our acclaimed series of commemorations of the lives and careers of celebrities who lived and are buried in the country. This time we will honour the memory of the much-loved actress Audrey Hepburn. Details will be communicated to you in due course. Many more exciting events for the year are at an advanced planning stage.

The Foundation's roster has grown to over sixty young artists from some fifteen countries. Please visit our website, www.swissglobal.org, to read about them and, of course, see further details of our events. Your constant support and helpful advice are of immense importance to us as we continue our activities.

Several Friends have reported that they have been unable to renew their subscriptions since they overlooked the renewal form incorporated in the new brochure which we mailed earlier in the year. We therefore take the opportunity of attaching a standard payment form with this newsletter so that you can renew now, and continue to support our work. Alternatively, you can subscribe or renew on-line, at www.swissglobal.org.

We very much look forward to the pleasure of your company soon. In presenting enjoyable musical events for our Friends, Supporters and Sponsors while helping the careers of our talented young charges, we trust that we are making a contribution to harmony and joy in the world, in the truest sense!

With best personal regards,

Heather de Haes
President and Director