Among the 40 festivals that we are sponsoring in France and in Africa this year, 22 have been cancelled. They were meant to welcome more than 300,000 people this summer. Of the 18 other festivals: 9 hope postponement in autumn 2020, while the 9 others will go ahead with fewer people and a less international programme.
Given the current situation that is making the world of culture vulnerable, we have decided to maintain our financial contributions while encouraging the events to be postponed or adapted into different formats, digital for example.
Supporting the music scene
As a sponsor of music for the past 33 years, we are doing everything we can to support the world of music, which is now in great difficulty. So, all our cultural partners from the world of music, whose festivals have been postponed to 2021, will receive 100% of the sums that had been allocated to them this year in 2021. Lastly, we are maintaining 100% of our funding for artists and socio-educational programmes in the area of music.
Nine festivals confirmed in France
Time for innovation and creativity to be able to welcome the public while complying with the preventive measures: new methods invented or further extended by 9 of our partners, such as open-air concerts, the doubling up of concerts to reduce the size of groups and respect the necessary distances...
Here are the 9 festivals to have risen to the challenge in France and which will indeed be able to take place in July and August:
Abbaye de Lessay Festival
This festival has been sponsored by the Foundation for 2 years and consists of around ten major concerts of baroque and classical music with some of the best musical groups of the moment: Arts Florissants, Pygmalion, Talens Lyriques, La Tempête… in the magnificent abbey church of Lessay near Coutances in Normandy.
From 17 July to 4 August
https://www.heuresmusicalesdelessay.com
Saou Chante Mozart Festival
Driven by the flautist Philippe Bernold, the Saou Chante Mozart Festival includes several villages in the Drome Department (Crest, Saou, Dieulefit, Anneyron...) and includes battles between pianists, string quartets and recitals of Mozart, Beethoven, Liszt…
From 19 to 27 July
http://www.saouchantemozart.com
Temps Suspendu Festival
A recently created festival in Saint Benoit du Sault near Argenton in the Creuse Department, Temps Suspendu offers concerts, "apéritif" concerts, conferences and get-togethers with programmes of classical music! The festival also runs an outstanding educational programme, "Orchestre à l’Ecole", which allows around one hundred children from rural areas to play music.
From 25 July to 2 August
https://www.letempssuspendu.fr/concerts-2020/
Ramatuelle Festival and its musical nocturnes
Under the aegis of Michel Boujenah and Jacqueline Franjou, the Ramatuelle Festival presents thirteen evenings of theatre and music under the stars in its delightful Théâtre de Verdure (’theatre in the green’). On the programme: Abd Al Malik, Jarry, Jacques Weber, the vocal quintet Opéras Locos...
From 28 July to 10 August
https://www.festivalderamatuelle.com/programme
1001 Notes festival in the Limousin Department
A wonderful example of a festival that has succeeded in rethinking and transforming its whole programme into 8 days of music in the Parc de Saint Priest Taurion with a succession of artists such as the pianist Alexandre Taraud and the singer Rosemary Stanley, who ranges from rock music to a classical repertoire!
From 1 to 8 August
https://festival1001notes.com/programmation-festival
Bach en Combrailles Festival
The Bach en Combrailles Festival has maintained a part of its programme with 4 concerts of Bach: cello suites with Elena Andreyev, a piano recital with Adam Laloum and organ recitals in Pontaumur.
From 15 to 16 August
https://www.bachencombrailles.com
Rocamadour Festival
Concerts under the stars, piano recital with Anne Queffelec, Mozart with Concert Spirituel, Vivaldi with the Musiciens du Louvre, Bach with Mattheus... The Rocamadour Festival has chosen to double up all its concerts every evening with performances at 7:30 and 9:30 pm so that it can accommodate larger audiences.
From 15 to 26 August
https://www.rocamadourfestival.com/programmation
Cosmo jazz
The Cosmo Jazz Festival in Chamonix, created by André Manoukian, has moved its entire programme from July to mid-August 2020, with free-of-charge concerts in the mountains facing Mont Blanc. Already confirmed on the programme are Vincent Peirani, Laurent Bardainne, Birds on a Wire, Foehn Trio and many other great artists.
From 16 to 22 August
https://cosmojazzfestival.com
July 29 update : unfortunately the 2020 festival is canceled. The festival team will meet us in 2021.
Festival de Conques
Conques, this timeless medieval village ranked the most beautiful village in France will be hosting 3 exceptional evenings of music from around the world in its abbey church, including music from Ireland, a concert on the theme of perfumes, violins of the world…
From 25 to 29 August
https://www.centre-europeen.com/rencontres-musicales/les-rencontres-2020/
…And also music online
Since the month of March, along with the cultural partners who benefit from our sponsorship, we have also been encouraging free-of-charge access to music, as well as to books and museums, online in the home.
Discover how to attend a performance by the Opéra de Paris or the Aix en Provence Festival online.