U of T music and art history students gain meaningful learning exchanges between France and Canada, thanks to Fondation DRG

Oct 28, 2024

A picturesque image of the Eiffel Tower in Paris at sunset.

This past June was “like a dream” for Tony Bali, a student in the University of Toronto’s Master of Music program. As part of the Canada-France Cross-Cultural Exchanges in Music and Art History program, he spent the month in France, studying privately with one of his professional idols – Romain Pilon, an internationally renowned, award-winning jazz guitarist.

“I grew up listening to him, and then got to study with him for an intense period of time. I learned so much. It really was like a dream for me,” says Bali, who specializes in jazz performance and hopes to pursue doctoral studies after his master’s degree.

His trip was made possible by an Experience France Bursary, which is just one of many facets of the cross-cultural exchange program supported by Fondation DRG. Through a variety of scholarships, bursaries, collaborative projects and faculty exchanges, the program is building lasting academic and artistic connections between Canada and France.

While in Paris, Bali spent two to three days each week studying with Pilon, learning not just about the music, but also the business side of being a musician.

During the rest of the week, he took advantage of France’s cultural landscape, taking part in activities that would enrich his musical education: immersing himself in the local jazz scene, for instance, and even visiting the South of France to explore various locations of importance to music history.

Close-up of Tony Bali and Romain Pilon outside in Paris.

It was an opportunity of a lifetime; an experience he feels is already shaping the way he plans to approach his music career and how he teaches his own music students.

Bali says he’s extremely grateful to Fondation DRG for supporting his journey through the Canada-France Cross-Cultural Exchanges in Music and Art History program. Now in its third year running, the program allows U of T students to enrich their education through cross-cultural exchanges in both music and art history.

Ryan McClelland, acting dean, Faculty of Music at U of T, notes that these exchanges “have pushed students and scholars to new heights, inspiring them to attain greater fluency and pursue new ways of thinking about, sharing and expressing music – both as a subject of academic inquiry and a performance practice.”

Pushing students and scholars ‘to new heights’

Aria Zheng, a second-year student at U of T and a recipient of Fondation DRG’s Undergraduate Scholarship in Art History, spent the month of May in Paris taking “Greek and Roman Art and its Reception in France,” one of two immersive art history programs funded by Fondation DRG.

While she hasn’t decided what her specific career path will be after she graduates, Zheng knows she wants to work in the arts. She feels her time in France not only allowed her to learn a tremendous amount of art history through a variety of “unforgettable” experiences – including a private, after-hours tour of the Louvre Museum – but also gave her a better understanding of various art history-related careers.

A group of students poses in front of the Venus de Milo statue at the Louvre Museum.

“I am deeply grateful to Fondation DRG for making this opportunity possible,” Zheng says, noting that the immersive learning she experienced would have been very difficult to replicate in a traditional classroom setting. “The knowledge and experiences I gained through this program have significantly inspired me and stimulated my interest in delving deeper into art history research.”

Bali and Zheng are just two of more than 90 U of T undergraduate and graduate students who have taken part in these enriching art history and music experiences in France so far, thanks to Fondation DRG’s generous support.

“Our students are benefiting from immersive learning opportunities in France that place them in contact with the world’s foremost experts and allow them to follow their curiosity in a spirit of open inquiry and expansive dialogue, all of which we recognize as critical preparation for an engaged global citizenry,” says David Palmer, U of T’s vice-president, advancement.

Many enriching opportunities

In addition to the Experience France Bursary – which enables music students like Bali to pursue training opportunities with musicians and scholars in France – and the Undergraduate Scholarships in Art History, Fondation DRG’s France-Canada cross-cultural exchange program supports many other meaningful opportunities, scholarships and collaborations.

For example, three renowned musicians from France – trombonist Fabrice Millischer, bassoonist Sophie Dervaux and harpist Isabelle Moretti – visited U of T in the past year to perform and offer master classes. Meanwhile, four students from France’s Conservatoire National Supérieur de la Musique et Danse de Lyon (CNSMD) completed a week-long residency at U of T’s Faculty of Music, while four U of T students completed residencies at CNSMD.

And within the art history program, there were eight visiting professorships in the past year, with four art historians from France coming to Toronto – including architectural history professor Jean-Philippe Garric and medieval art history professor Anne-Orange Poilpré, both from Université Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne, art history professor Marianne Cojannot-Le Blanc from University of Paris Nanterre, and Barthélémy Jobert, a professor of Modern & Contemporary Art at Sorbonne Université Faculté des lettres – as well as four U of T professors visiting France.

Our students are benefiting from immersive learning opportunities in France that place them in contact with the world’s foremost experts and allow them to follow their curiosity in a spirit of open inquiry and expansive dialogue.

“These visiting professorships are building lasting academic relationships while allowing art history students in both countries to interact with renowned scholars in their field,” says Joseph L. Clarke, chair of U of T’s Department of Art History.

Our students are benefiting from immersive learning opportunities in France that place them in contact with the world’s foremost experts and allow them to follow their curiosity in a spirit of open inquiry and expansive dialogue.

“We are getting the chance to deepen our faculty’s connections with academics and institutions in France as we prepare the next generation to embark on significant work in the field of art history.”

Exciting future ahead

Looking ahead, several aspects of the Canada-France Cross-Cultural Exchanges in Music and Art History program are launching this year, including an increase from 10 to 15 students for the Experience France Bursary in music for the 2024-2025 year.

A new partnership called the France-Canada Academy of Vocal Arts (FCAVA) also kicked off in August with a Summer Academy in France focused on vocal music and the interpretation of French mélodie. For the first Summer Academy program, the l’Académie Francis Poulenc in Tours hosted 13 U of T students.

Planning is also well underway for a percussion ensemble tour for students from U of T and a partner school in France, which will be under the direction of U of T percussion ensemble director Aiyun Huang.

The personal and professional growth you can gain from this experience is absolutely invaluable.

The future for Fondation DRG’s Canada-France Cross-Cultural Exchanges in Music and Art History is exciting – and the students who have taken part so far are spreading the word about their transformative educational experiences.

The personal and professional growth you can gain from this experience is absolutely invaluable.

“I highly recommend this exchange program to others. I think it’s just a fantastic opportunity to gain first-hand experience in France and create lasting memories,” says Zheng. “The personal and professional growth you can gain from this experience is absolutely invaluable.”