Education
From 1992 to 1999 François studied violin with Myriam Quersin (successor to Arthur Grumiaux at the Brussels Conservatory) and composition with Daan Manneke at the Amsterdam Conservatory.
From 1992 to 1999 François studied violin with Myriam Quersin (successor to Arthur Grumiaux at the Brussels Conservatory) and composition with Daan Manneke at the Amsterdam Conservatory.
He also participated in several jazz workshops with Philip Catherine, Hein Van De Geyn and Maarten Weiler. He conducts seminars and workshops on relaxation technique based on the Belgian violin school of Arthur Grumiaux: relaxed and fluid movements for beauty of sound, freedom of expression and avoidance of tendinitis. François is known for his unusual technique and posture when playing the nyckelharpa.
Holding the instrument in front of the chest, one is able to move both arms in a more natural and relaxed fashion.
Using a violin shoulder rest to keep the nyckelharpa away from the body so it can swing freely also causes it to sound more open. Foreign many years François worked with the builder Joos Janssens (Dunières) for the further evolution of the instrument.
Later with the nyckelharpa and bow builder Jean Claude Condi (Mirecourt), he helped with the creation of a study instrument for children. He himself plays nyckelharpas of both builders.
Didier François has taught nyckelharpa at the Scuola di Musica Popolare di Forlimpopoli, Italy and Akademie Burg Fürsteneck, Germany as a member of the European Training. He is also a member of the Cadence project supported by the European Commission. Member of the Belgian Baroque ensemble Zefiro Torna.