Johann Frank

A Nyonnais studies the guitar in Boston

Johann Frank will turn twenty years old in May and he is already a guitar prodigy. It’s been ten years I started taking lessons in Nyon, it was a revelation for me, he declares. At twelve years old he starts to perform with different band he formed, he then takes the nickname Joe Frank. In 1999, he forms the pop rock band Witness and, two years later, the blues band Joe’s Generic Band. In 2001 I decided to send a demo to Phil Collins’ foundation, Little Dreams. They called me for an audition and they took me in, he continues. Phil Collins founded it; the president is his ex-wife, Orianne Collins. The goal is to help young talents in any artistic or sport domain. Little Dreams gave me the opportunity to do concerts in front of 15,000 people with numerous famous artists like Phil Collins, Michael Jones or Genesis’ Mike Rutherford. In January 2006, I went to Berklee University in Boston, USA, where I mainly study the guitar, as well as the Music Business, he says. He is financially helped by the foundation. His future, Joe Frank sees it in the United States, where he would like to become the guitar player for a big artist. - La Côte Newspapers

Three young boys realize their dream thanks to Phil Collins

Extracts:

1. Thanks to the Foundation, we have the contacts and the opportunity to meet artists, Joe Frank explains. It is a life experience, a huge chance, the biggest door that I have ever had live my passion professionally.

2. And Joe, he would like to be the guitar player for a legend.

3. They don’t want to put us in a frame, they give us the opportunity to do what we would like to, without any predefined way, Joe defends. We are pushed to build our career stone after stone, it is useless to build a 100 meters-tall wall at once without anything after…

4. Jealousy, fake friendships are a negative result of what we are living, Joe conveys.
- La Côte Newspapers

Christian Thomas teaches how to express music

Barely 13, Joe Frank blows the audience away

Joe Frank, 13 years old, on the electric guitar, blew the audience away during a song reserved to improvisation. The two boys also received their solfege diploma. During the second part, Joe interpreted two of his original compositions. This little genius, with blond hair and relaxed look, takes guitar lessons for only 3 years, and today at a school in Lausanne. Joe is not part of those who we need to teach music, just to wake it up in him, witnesses Christian Thomas.
- Le Matin Newspapers