The Servais Society started on November 26, 2003.
The Society wants to contribute to the study and propagation of the life and works of the Halle cellist and composer François Servais as well as his offspring. It encourages all initiatives that promote the spread and dissemination of the music of Servais and his contemporaries and the Halle music and cultural life.
A first ambitious project was the celebration of Servais’ bicentennial in 2007. This commemoration year marked the beginning of a real Servais Revival.
One of the aims of the society is to act as the one and only contact for everything related to Servais.
The Board of Directors of the Society is composed as follows::
President: Peter François
Treasurer: Myriam Vandoren
Secretary: Guido François
Members: Jan Ophalvens, Dora Pawlutschenko, Karin Van Snick
Honorary members:
Louis De Grève(+), Marc Beckwé(+), Dirk Pieters
Former mayors of the city of Halle
Edmond Baert, Anner Bijlsma(+), Walter Grimmer, Yutaka Hayashi, Didier Poskin, Seeli Toivio, Viviane Spanoghe
Cellists
Blandine, Charles-Emile, Claire, Colette and Henry Vanderlinden
Great-great-grandchildren of François Servais
In 2016-2017 the festival ‘Servais 150-210′ celebrated the 150th anniversary of Servais’ death and the 210th anniversary of Servais’ birth. Here you can find an overview of the festivities: