page_title: Francis Goya
section_title: March 2001: first concerts in Estonia
hierarchical_section_title: Francis Goya / Biography / March 2001: first concerts in Estonia
caption_attribution_description: Français&#160;: Francis Goya en concert en Belgique
context_page_description: Francis Goya is a Belgian classical guitar player and producer. He has recorded fifty albums, many of which have reached gold or platinum status. Francis went solo in 1975, changing his name to Goya. His first solo single, Nostalgia, became an international hit, reaching the top ten in Belgium and the Netherlands.
context_section_description: After twenty years of success in Eastern Europe, in 2001, Francis Goya was invited to give a concert in Estonia in the Tallinn Philharmonic Hall, with accompaniment of the Chamber Orchestra of the Philharmonic Hall, directed by Jean-Luc Drion, a pianist and a director, who had, by the time, been a friend of Francis Goya for 30 years.
  The first concert was such a success that Francis Goya had to prolong his stay in Estonia and give a second concert on the following day in the same Philharmonic Hall.
  After such first experience in Estonia, Francis Goya decided to record an instrumental album that included pieces by the great Estonian composer Raimond Valgre.
  That album was also a huge success in Estonia.
  Furthermore, the Russian album entitled A Tribute To Alexandra Pakhmutova which was recorded in Saint Petersburg was widely distributed in Korea, Taiwan and China.
  Due to his popularity, Francis Goya regularly goes on tours all over the world, and the public receives every concert with exceptional enthusiasm:
  April 2004: A concert in Saint Petersburg (Russia)
  October 2005: Palais des Beaux Arts in Brussels (Belgium)
  March 2006: A concert in the Philharmonic Hall, Saint Petersburg (Russia)
  April 2006: A concert at Abbaye de Forest in Brussels (Belgium)
  May 2006: A tour of three concerts in Poland (Poznań, Kraków, and Warsaw)
  May 2006: Participation in Braine-l'Alleud Festival (Belgium). Et si on se faisait plaisir
  June 2006: Recording an album specially for China
  September 2006: A concert in l’Église St Étienne in Braine l’Alleud
  November 2006: A grand tour over the Baltic countries
  December 2006: concert in the Oktyabrsky Concert Hall in Saint Petersburg (Russia).
  March 2007: Concerts in Tallinn (Estonia), Vilnius (Lithuania), Riga (Latvia), Valmiera (Latvia), Tartu (Estonia), and Pärnu (Estonia)
  April 2007: A grand concert in Moscow
  May 2007: A gala concert in Cambodia for the benefit of humanitarian organizations (Lions Club)
  May 2007: A concert at the World of Guitar Festival in Kaluga (Russia)
  September 2007: A concert in Waterloo (Belgium)
  October 2007: A concert for the benefit of St Michel Oncological Charity Foundation in Nivelles (Belgium)
  October 2007: A grand tour over Russia
  March 2012: Concerts in Vilnius (Lithuania), Tallinn (Estonia), Riga (Latvia), Moscow, Saintt Petersburg, Tyumen, Omsk, Novosibirsk, Ekaterinburg, Izhevsk and Kirov (Russia).
  March 2013: On the occasion of Women's Day, two concerts "Romantic Guitar" 7 in Saint Petersburg Russia, 8 in Tallinn Estonia
  September 18, 2013, Concert in Shenzhen, China
  June 2014: Concert in Sardegna with Charles Aznavour
  November 2014: Concert tour in Siberia, KHABAROVSK, YU-SAKHALINSK, VLADIVOSTOK, PETROPAVLOVSK-KAMCHATSKIY
  May 2015 : Ukrainian and Bellarussia concert tour.
  September 2015: Bulgaria
  April 2016 : Israel
  October 2016 : Belgium
  Next tour, November 2016, Ukraine and Russia
  In 2006, rapper Busta Rhymes reproduced a sample from Francis Goya's old work Faded Lady, which became No.1 on the USA Top-100 under the title of "New York Shit" (album The Big Bang)
  In 2007, the group Safri Duo (Falling Hight) used a sample from Tonight’s the Night piece, which was written by Francis Goya in 1976.
  In January 2008, Francis Goya and his family decided to move to Marrakesh (Morocco). Francis Goya continued giving gala concerts in Canada, South Africa, Russia, and Estonia.
  In 2010, Francis Goya opened his first musical school Ateliers Art et Musique (Art and Music Studio) in Marrakesh.
  In 2011, he established the Francis Goya Foundation for cultural development of Moroccan children and teenagers from “problem” regions Site officiel de la Fondation Francis Goya with the assistance of the Belgian Ambassador to Morocco, Consul of Belgium in Morocco, and high officials of the State of Morocco.
  2012: A grand tour over the major cities of the Baltic countries and Russia is planned.
caption: Francis Goya at a concert in Brussels in 2005
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