The Olga & Jules Craen Foundation was established in the year 2012 to honour Olga and Jules Craen, who for fifty years created in Bombay an awareness of Western classical music (WCM) dedicating their professional lives to the musical education of the young.
Olga, the celebrated concert pianist and piano teacher par excellence of Goan origin, nurtured the talent of young students, leaving behind teachers and performers of repute, both in India and abroad. The Belgian Jules Craen chose a parallel path developing musicians and forging ties with local talent in his capacity as a violin teacher and Founder-Conductor of the Bombay Symphony Orchestra.
The Foundation’s more lasting tribute is the announcement of The Olga and Jules Craen “Young Musician of the Year” award. The annual selection (instrumental or vocal) has been aided by charitable trusts and establishments of distinction in WCM in India today. The young recipient is nurtured over a year; guardianship is in the form of training with visiting musicians, financial aid for instruments and books and in attending master-classes in India and abroad. Thereafter to gain confidence and exposure, the Laureate is sent to perform at various schools of music in India.
At the Foundation’s annual event, the Incoming Laureate performs briefly while the Outgoing Laureate, gives a full-length recital to demonstrate the value of the stewardship and training received - the same pattern being repeated in subsequent years.
