Project director in performing arts and founder oflanglois4music
Laurent
Langlois
“Today I consider my work, my vision (always with the artists and their approach) finally maybe not different from what it has always been at the head of large and complex institutions. But today, the size and simply the flexibility of langlois4music is a guarantee of responsiveness and increased presence in the field, as close as possible to human relations. Indeed, even if I have to “sell” projects and find the budget for productions, ideas, my work consists in slipping (go-between) into the relationship between artists and professionals by providing both production advice and highlighting the points of interest and relevance of each project in relation to the programming lines. My professional background and my very long relationships with both parties give credibility to my artistic expertise, not to impose anything, but as a mirror, as a strategic companion, in a ping-pong relationship that I wish to motivate my interlocutors. I am not considered as an agent, but as a colleague who advises. This background, this capacity for expertise allows me, for example, to find, when reading the season brochures, the links, the strong points that the presentation of such or such programs would bring.”
L. Langlois
AREAS OF
EXPERTISE
- Creation and development of artistic projects in association with local or regional authorities and all the stakeholders within a given territory
- Organization and structuring of projects in different legal formats (authorized local administration, an association under the 1901 Law, ASBL, not-for-profit association, Public Cultural Cooperation Institution)
- Capacity to form and manage performance teams
- Implementation of human relations and work organization policy
- Audience development through strong and innovative cultural actions
An ambassador of artists and projects, A link for producers and diffusers, An advisor for public development policy, A critical look at presence on social networks
An investment of more than 35 years in the performing arts (music, theatre, dance, opera) and the visual arts, projects mostly related to music and in particular live music on stage.
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE: PR Objects
Since 2012 European survey on new governance and economic models in classical music institutions:
- City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra | Andris Nelsons
- Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra | Vasily Petrenko
- Deutsche Radio Philharmonie Saarbrücken | Karel Mark Chichon
- Budapest Festival Orchestra | Ivan Fischer
- Gulbenkian Orchestra | Lawrence Foster
- Orquestra Sinfónica do Porto Casa da Música | Christoph König
- Orchestre national de Lyon | Leonard Slatkin
- Orchestre du Luxembourg | Emmanuel Krivine
- Orchestre national de Strasbourg | Marko Letonja
- Orchestre de la Suisse Romande | Marek Janovski
- Orchestre national de Toulouse | Turgan Sokiev
- Orchestre de l’Opéra de Rouen – Haute Normandie | Oswald Sallaberger founding chief
- General Director of the Auditorium – Lyon National Orchestra (ONL)
- Managing over 200 employees and a total budget in excess of 15 million euros.
- Working alongside the musical director to define and implement the ONL’s artistic and scheduling policies.
- Drafting the orchestra’s timetable and negotiating new orchestra regulations.
- Implementation of the orchestra development plan designed to increase revenue (+28.9%) and attendance (+17.8%), and develop local, regional, and international broadcasting partnerships.
- Produce a clear policy of guidelines to be adhered to during forthcoming recordings and international tours.
- Artistic and development advisor (Mons)
- The advisory role undertaken whilst simultaneously working as Director of the Ars Musica Festival in Brussels
- Designing the artistic plan (approx 30 programs per season) based upon the forthcoming repertoire and in consultation with the Musical Director, Augustin Dumay
- Establishing seasons to run from Mons (residence) and Brussels to Belgium and other selected international destinations
- Director of the Ars Musica festival (Brussels) Ars Musica is an international contemporary music festival, alongside Musica, a founding member of the Réseau Varèse, a network featuring all the major contemporary music events in Europe
- Responsibility for growing the Brussels festival to incorporate 2 further communities within 4 different destinations, (Antwerp, Bruges, Mons, and Liege) reflective of the Flemish influence and interest in the festival
- Designing and organizing the programming of some sixty projects/concerts for each edition
- Commissioning composers, hosting some of the most interesting European musical ensembles
- International commissioner for the symposium on “Outlooks for Contemporary Music: Challengers and Reality”, a three-day meeting featuring eight round-table discussions, forty contributors, and five concerts
- Artistic Coordinator of Nexus magazine (June 2007 issue dedicated to Contemporary Music). Contributors included Pierre Boulez, Massimo Cacciari, Pierre Albert Castanet, Frank Madlener, Serge Dorny and Antoine Gindt
- Generalitat of Catalunya, international service (Euro-region). Drafting a plan for the Cistercian heritage of the Euro-region designed to encourage spectators to discover the historic details of the celebrated buildings through themed festivals and musical events
- Addressing the question how can lyrical creation be repositioned at the heart of the Theatre, Music, and Dance, I was responsible for rebuilding the opera to attract 130,000 spectators and 8,000 subscribers across the relevant territorial authorities (Cities, departmental council, regional council, township committee, Ministry of Culture)
- Managing a budget of 11 million euros and up to 300 employees
- Redefine the framework of the artistic project alongside the trustees
- Development of cross-subsidization; authorization for rule by the local administration, transformation into an EPCC (public cultural cooperation institutions)
- Recruitment of a permanent orchestra, administrative and technical team
- Implementation of official procedures to enhance staff management tools (works council/health and safety committee/internal regulations)
- Generated new policies aimed at increasing new audience attendance with a particular focus on regional, national, and international broadcasting
- Design, creation, and direction of the October in Normandy festival
- Led idea-generated discussions prior to the creation of an international performing arts festival in Normandy ultimately attracting 40,000 spectators every year to 110 events with an annual budget of 10 million French francs, (1.5 million €)
- Design, direction, and presentation of the new festival to the elected officials of La Seine-Maritime department council. Programming eight editions of this major European cultural event across the cities (Rouen, Le Havre, and Dieppe). Maximizing benefit for the department’s historical sites. Creation of a cycle of “artist portraits” (contemporary composers) in tandem with the University of Rouen
- The primary charge of the organization from 1980 – 1983, when I was given sole responsibility for further duties including the communication, programming, and direction of the festival from 1983 to 1989
- This festival was a cultural event (music, theatre, and dance) that ran during the summer and was based around the historical monuments of the department of La Seine-Maritime
- Report on musical institutions and the symphonic landscape in France. Commissioned by the Direction Générale de la Création Artistique (DGCA). PARIS
STUDIES & SURVEYS
- Report on musical institutions and the symphonic landscape in France. Commissioned by the Direction Générale de la Création Artistique (DGCA). PARIS
- European Survey of Musical Institutions: Study on the economic and organizational model. Commissioned by the European Commission / Directorate-General for Education and Culture / "Creative Europe" program - culture. BRUSSELS
- European survey on symphonic formations. Commissioning of a survey on symphonic formations by the cabinet of the Minister of Culture of the Flemish Community of Belgium (Culture and Heritage Agency). BRUSSELS
- Generalitat de CatalunGeneralitat de Catalunya, international service (Euroregion): Study of a festival project on the Cistercian heritage of the Euroregion, Commissioned by the Generalitat. BARCELONAya, international service (Euroregion): Study of a festival project on the Cistercian heritage of the Euroregion, Commissioned by the Generalitat. BARCELONA
A CAREER SPENT
IN TOUCH with
PERFORMING ARTISTS
ARTISTS
PERFORMING
Initiating a policy to diversify audiences remains the key challenge, the unavoidable course for a cultural institution, an ensemble, and beyond for all those involved in the performing arts in the 21st century.
However, the profile of the audience is the consequence of artistic programming choices. It is around an architecture of forms, places, and anchored communication channels that our landmarks (music, theatre, dance, museum, auditorium, season brochure, etc…) are facilitated. The phenomenon is not new, they have the virtue of exciting more and more hybrid formats, moving projects, innovative communications.
The first to have shaken up this order were festivals in the 1980s, but today the movement is accelerating, particularly under the growing importance of social networks. Which are considering changing the vision, the mode of appropriation of the cultural object, not to say cultural consumption.
LANGLOIS 4 wishes to encourage and support the production and dissemination of cross-disciplinary, multidisciplinary projects with a common point: music performed live on stage.
LANGLOIS 4 MUSIC, LANGLOIS 4 MUSIC THEATRE, LANGLOIS 4 DANCE, LANGLOIS 4 THEATRE, LANGLOIS 4 SOCIAL NETWORK
The same activity to promote strong, singular, demanding artistic and cultural approaches through a mediation concerned with public dynamics, via communication channels that are clearly contemporary.
001
Langlois
4 music
Working with the most relevant and innovative ensembles, orchestra, musicians, composers, and music production center: B’Rock Orchestra (Ghent), MUZIEKTHEATER TRANSPARANT (Antwerpen), BL!NDMAN [sax] (Brussels), ZEFIRO TORNA (“Mechelen”).
Programming for the biggest European symphonic orchestras and musical ensembles: European musical ensembles: Oslo Philharmonic/Mariss Jansons, Milan Scala/Myung Whun Chung,
Budapest Festival Orchestra/Ivan Fischer, London Sinfonietta/George Benjamin, Théâtre Mariinsky Theatre/Valeri Guerguiev, Klangforum Wien/Peter Rundel, National Orchestra of Spain/Rafael Frubeck de Burgos, Staatskapelle de Dresden/ Sir Colin Davis, Munich Philharmonics/Sergiu Celebidache, SWR Symphony Orchestra/Sylvain Cambrelin. Numerous commissions and productions with creators including: Xenakis, P. Boulez, G. Benjamin, H. Dufourt, M. Stroppa, H. Paredes, A. Pärt, Ch. Queval, P. Dusapin, D. Lemaître and Bruno Mantovani.
002
Langlois
4 dance
“The shock of the discovery of contemporary dance in the 1980s was great and total immersion. From then on, my investment has not ceased to support, produce, diffuse, and present a number of young choreographers of the time.
As an example, the Festival d’Eté de la Seine-Maritime was the first to present in France in June 82, Anne Teresa De Keersmaeker (Phase), but also in the production of two first choreographies by Wim Vandekeybus.
Then Octobre en Normandie produces and present for many years all her productions (Rosas danst Rosas, Elena’s Aria, Achterland, Erts, Ottone Ottone…), the commission for a concert project – installation at Jan Fabre on Beethoven’s 5th symphony, without forgetting Philippe Decouflé (Tranche de Cake – first production), Daniel Larrieu, J. C. Galotta, F. Verret, R. Chopinot, Bouvier/Obadia, B. Montet, Lloy Newson, M. Marin, T. Hauert, K. K. Kwarnström, E. Lock, M. Clark, S. Waltz, M. Stuart, J. Saunier, M. Monnier, B. Charmartz, J. Bel, D. Hervieu (first project in Lyon with a symphonic orchestra)…the list is very long.
Their common points very often: a link with the music often live and composers of today, or repertoire music.
Even today LANGLOIS 4 DANCE continues this path traced years ago with the same enthusiasm!”
L. Langlois
003
Langlois
4 theatre
Identical to my borderline approach, my attraction to border theatre projects, I have solicited directors either for Operas or for productions always at the crossroads of forms.
Working with the most relevant and innovative stage directors: Jan Fabre, Ivo van Hove, Stéphane Braunschweig, Peter Mussbach, Pierre Audi, Jean Lacornerie, Joan Simmons, Claron McFadden.
Programming for the most interesting and important stage director S. Braunschweig, A. Engel, P. Mussbach, C.Buchwald, Y. Oïda, L. Hemleb, B. Delahaye, A. Wims, J. Fabre, P. Rambert, J. Lauwers, G. Streller, L. Pelly, etc. but also and for many years, I have produced and programmed cross-border artists such as La Fura dels Baus, Els Comedians, Les Grands Magasins, La Compagnie Alice, Nico, and the Navigators, etc and especially today: Liesa Van der Aa (Cie One Trick Pony), Les Ames Perdues, Cie Laïka are in my regular European sightings.
Today the borders are always moving and for example, the company SKaGeN (Antwerp) with the WHATSAPP #1 project, allows the diffusion of productions that break the usual framework of the theatre, where there is no longer a unity of place, with a project over 3 weeks and that suits the spectators for in situ scenes!
LANGLOIS 4 THEATRE benchmarks and supports all innovative forms of theater.
003
Langlois
4 theatre
Identical to my borderline approach, my attraction to border theatre projects, I have solicited directors either for Operas or for productions always at the crossroads of forms.
Working with the most relevant and innovative stage directors: Jan Fabre, Ivo van Hove, Stéphane Braunschweig, Peter Mussbach, Pierre Audi, Jean Lacornerie, Joan Simmons, Claron McFadden.
Programming for the most interesting and important stage director S. Braunschweig, A. Engel, P. Mussbach, C.Buchwald, Y. Oïda, L. Hemleb, B. Delahaye, A. Wims, J. Fabre, P. Rambert, J. Lauwers, G. Streller, L. Pelly, etc. but also and for many years, I have produced and programmed cross-border artists such as La Fura dels Baus, Els Comedians, Les Grands Magasins, La Compagnie Alice, Nico, and the Navigators, etc and especially today: Liesa Van der Aa (Cie One Trick Pony), Les Ames Perdues, Cie Laïka are in my regular European sightings.
Today the borders are always moving and for example, the company SKaGeN (Antwerp) with the WHATSAPP #1 project, allows the diffusion of productions that break the usual framework of the theatre, where there is no longer a unity of place, with a project over 3 weeks and that suits the spectators for in situ scenes!
LANGLOIS 4 THEATRE benchmarks and supports all innovative forms of theater.
004
Langlois
4 music theatre
LANGLOIS 4 MUSIC THEATRE affirms a broad definition of this category of Musical Theater often poorly defined according to dictionaries, stories, countries. It is in fact about promoting all projects, all productions with live music – be it repertoire or today’s music. From chamber opera to stagings or concert spaces, through choreographed or filmed forms or as part of a plastic installation.
Live music creates a social and artistic event, it legitimizes living art. The musicians on stage form the human link that touches the spectator, which dynamically highlights the theatrical, choreographic, plastic, video form…
From Ivo van Hove to François Chaignaud, from Yoshi Oïda to Sylvain Groud, from Claron McFadden to Stefan Prins, they all work, think, work on the woven sound material to a strong, meaningful musical dramaturgy, essential to their artistic approach – without forgetting, of course, the fundamental dimension of emotion.
Musical theater, in its broad expression and across its porous borders, allows all possible approaches, as close as possible to the expectations of transversality, of a 360° view, of creativity… and even of surprises!
004
Langlois
4 music theatre
LANGLOIS 4 MUSIC THEATRE affirms a broad definition of this category of Musical Theatre often poorly defined according to dictionaries, stories, countries. It is in fact about promoting all projects, all productions with live music – be it repertoire or today’s music. From chamber opera to stagings or concert spaces, through choreographed or filmed forms or as part of a plastic installation.
Live music creates a social and artistic event, it legitimizes living art. The musicians on stage form the human link that touches the spectator, which dynamically highlights the theatrical, choreographic, plastic, video form…
From Ivo van Hove to François Chaignaud, from Yoshi Oïda to Sylvain Groud, from Claron McFadden to Stefan Prins, they all work, think, work on the woven sound material to a strong, meaningful musical dramaturgy, essential to their artistic approach – without forgetting, of course, the fundamental dimension of emotion.
Musical theatre, in its broad expression and across its porous borders, allows all possible approaches, as close as possible to the expectations of transversality, of a 360° view, of creativity… and even of surprises!
005
Langlois
4 social network
Conducted with some results for years in cultural institutions, cultural, pedagogical, and communicational policies provide only an incomplete part of the needs for audience diversification. Increasingly, they leave aside a whole section of the potential public known as the “general public”.
It is this segment (15-35-year-olds), also known as the “general public”, who are connected and use social networks on a daily basis and who are more difficult to contact, that should be integrated into the spectrum of current audience profiles as a priority. It is this core target group that is certainly pointed out in this advice.
Social networks and the means of dynamically integrating them into organizations have become an unavoidable issue for cultural structures, companies, or ensembles. For some, it is an evolution, even a revolution, for others, younger people, it is simply the way to communicate. But this new relational media takes us even further away from J. Gutenberg’s practices and naturally requires a time of assimilation and adaptation. As you can see in the organization charts, the choice of a part-time social network manager is no longer efficient. Some have understood this by rethinking their information strategy.
Beyond this observation, it must be said that social networks are much more confusing. Indeed, since the confinement, they can appear as a support for projects (CF. la Cie SKaGeN production: “WATCH APP # 1”).
Conquering new spectators requires an awareness of all the institution’s personnel alongside the communication department. The board must help to facilitate the appropriation of this angle by everyone. Faced with a more diversified audience spectrum, it can help to apprehend this complementary approach of the communication policy for another relationship on the web.
LANGLOIS 4 SOCIAL NETWORK has identified good practices in Europe and proposes to help you to feed your reflection and your strategy.
006
Langlois
4 studies
For funding collectivities, this means:
– to make the economic models of these institutions evolve in order to initiate a healthy and sustainable development by optimizing their project and their organization,
– to find, within these economic models, the resources (at constant subsidies) for a healthy expansion through optimization of expenditure (by working on the data of the model) and a dynamic of own revenues (active policy towards new publics) …
And collectivities need to be able to build on:
– A study of the internal data on which the models are based (and not the data regularly communicated to the Board of Directors).
– A study that analyzes and takes an in-depth look at the processes (financing, framework and organization of work, specifications and artistic objectives …), taking into account the history of each institution, the political will, the project of the General Director and / or (Musical Director, Director, Choreographer…) and his teams.
– On a set of good practices found everywhere in France but also throughout Europe, which provides food for thought…
In order to establish:
– An artistic project that develops with the establishment of a reinforced policy of audience diversification over an entire territory, with the renewed consideration of an opening towards new audiences.
– Within a rethought financial framework that respects, on the one hand, the personnel and artistic employment in the regions and, on the other hand, the evolution of the specifications.
LANGLOIS 4 STUDIES proposes to carry out a study in order to:
• Analyze and put into perspective the data collected in other institutions in France and in Europe (European orchestras and/or operas, theaters, auditoriums, companies, etc…).
• To list the ways in which the economic and organizational model can evolve:
o Concrete, explained in recommendations,
o Operational, i.e. can be set up quickly,
o Realistic, i.e. offering an opportunity to modify the economic and organizational model allowing a healthy and sustainable development of the artistic project written by the artistic director (musical director, director, choreographer…) and the project of establishment of the Director or administrator.
In terms of:
– a new balance between the permanent mass and the general budget,
– creation of a regional employment pool, relationship and presence on the territory and the greater region,
– a perennial and reinforced relationship of the institution with the associated ensembles, companies, non-permanent associates,
– adaptation of the artistic perimeter of the project, to diversify the public…
LANGUAGE 4 STUDIES is an assistance for a respectful evaluation of the human stakes, innovative and positive in the recommendations of good practices.
langlois4music through its knowledge of the various issues and problems at the institutional level, at the level of the artistic community, as well as at the national and international level, aims to be a resource in the face of the challenges of the 21st century.
Equi Voci – Danser Debussy Ravel / Thierry De Mey
The diary of one who disappeared
Directed by Ivo Van Hove
Le Chant de la Terre
Directed by Joshi Oïda
Belgian Rules / Belgium Rules
Directed by Jan Fabre / Troubleyn – Antwerpen
B’Rock Orchestra Ghent
BL!NDMAN [sax]
Eric Sleichim founder of BL!NDMAN;
Pieter Pellens /Hendrik Pellens/Piet Rebel/Sebastiaan Cooman – musicians
Mitra
Preparatio Mortis
Jan Fabre solo – Danced by Annabelle Chambon / Music by Bernard Foccroulle (organ)
Till it’s over / SKaGeN Cie - Antwerpen
Museum installation with Richard Jackson
Le Raz de Marée / SKaGeN Cie
With Clara van den Broek / Text Paul Verrept
Mount Olympus
To glorify the cult of tragedy, a 24 hour performance – Jan Fabre creation
Harriet
Directed by Jean Lacornerie with Claron McFadden
THE FLUID FORCE OF LOVE
Directed by Jan Fabre
EUROPEAN
CONTACTS
Over the last 30 years I have built strong professional relationships across Europe, notably with the major festivals: Operadagen Rotterdam, Holland festival – Amsterdam, Musica – Strasbourg, Klara festival – Brussels, Tempora Alta festival – Girona, MA festival – BrugGe, Juli Dans – Amsterdam, Edinburgh, Madrid, the Paris Autumn Festival, Aix en Provence Festival, the London Proms and the Berlioz Festival in La Côte Saint André. I was involved in the foundation of the IETM (Informal European Theatre Meeting) in 1983 and have been a member of the board of administrators of P.A.R.T.S (Performing Arts Research and Training Studios) since 2001 – based in Brussels and founded by the choreographer and director, Anne Teresa De Keersmaeker. For more than 20 years I worked in Normandy and lived in Catalonia for three years, during which time I established and developed contacts in the Generalitat to help conduct iconographic and heritage-based research on the Cistercian heritage of the Euro-region. I also undertook an advisory role with the Fondació Caïxa Catalunya for 2 years, when I was consulted on a wide range of counseling and programming activities in Barcelona. My career has taken in the Ars Musica festival in Brussels and the Royal Chamber Orchestra of Wallonia projects that I linked to the heart of Europe, beyond Belgian borders. For almost three years as general director of the Lyon National Orchestra, I have endeavored to open up and develop the ONL (Lyon) and diversify the programming of the Auditorium. And for the last five years with the creation of langlois4music, I’ve been traveling all over Europe to develop projects and tours.