The International Academy of Musical Theatre will open a school in Liège, next September, the first of its kind in Belgium. It will offer classes for both children and adults. A casting will take place in Herstal, on January 10th, to select the lucky artists who will receive free training.
At age 18, Pierre-Yves Duchesne left his home town of Liège, the “Ardent City”, to try his luck in Paris. This marked the beginning of a singing career punctuated by roles landed in various productions ("Les Misérables," "The Phantom of the Opera", etc.). He then went on to become vocal coach to artists like Lara Fabian and "Voca People" before eventually training wannabe pop stars on TV shows like "Popstars" and "La France A Un Incroyable Talent."
Born in Liège, Pierre-Yves Duchesne founded the International Academy of Musical Theatre (AICOM) in Paris, back in 2004. He currently serves as director of the school. As he was “nearing fifty and wishing to get back to his roots”, he decided to create a satellite school in the city centre of Liège. The exact location has not yet been determined, but classes will begin in September 2015.
Kids will be taught on Wednesdays and weekends. Adults will have the opportunity to attend either evening classes or a vocational course scheduled three days per week. Training will be provided by several well-known artists, including Pierre-Yves Duchesne himself. It will run for a year, extendable yearly.
"We already have Belgian students attending classes at the AICOM, in Paris but there azren’t many. We’re hoping that setting up a school in Liège will help us trigger vocations and explore Belgium’s artistic potential", he says. "We want to build bridges between all existing schools and act as an interface offering multidisciplinary training in singing, dance and drama."
A casting will be organised on January 10th, at La Fabrik, in Herstal. The aim will be to scout semi-professionals talented enough to enter an "A-Team class". If recruited, they will enjoy free training for three years.
(Source: Belga)
