© Pierre Gondard

La Rentrée des chœurs

20 lieux sur la mer

La Rentrée des chœurs is an event initiated and supported by the Departmental Council of Bouches-du-Rhône and carried by Musicatreize – National Centre for Vocal Art.

With the support of the municipalities of: Alleins – Arles – Jouques – Marseille – Mollégès – Orgon – Le Puy-Sainte-Réparade – Saint-Chamas – Saint-Paul-lez-Durance

The Bettencourt Schueller Foundation is a patron of the Rentrée des Choeurs project.

Editorial

Created in 2020, following the first lockdown, in collaboration with the Department of Bouches-du-Rhône, La Rentrée des chœurs was a real breath of fresh air for choirs, singers, and the public, who were in the midst of a very dark period.
Each time a miracle, the Rentrée des chœurs reaches its third edition, more serene, well-established, and more ambitious.

Alleins, Le Puy Sainte Réparade, Saint-Paul-lez-Durance, Orgon, Mollégès, Saint-Chamas, and Jouques support amateur choral singing by allowing many choirs to perform from September 9th. The programs are attractive and diverse, and they appeal to all ages and populations: classical music is featured alongside pop music, world music, jazz, and contemporary music. New creations are emerging, such as in Alleins for example, and new experiences are arising everywhere, driven by the enthusiasm of choir conductors. Foretastes in the form of workshops, meetings, street performances, games, and surprises are offered here and there.

For the first time this year, the Bettencourt Foundation is a patron of the project and thus allows us to amplify the adventure. In Marseille, as the culmination of this wonderful event, we are inviting the Ensemble Les Éléments of Joël Suhubiette, who is also a centre for vocal art and our neighbor from Toulouse, and their program Sacred Mediterranean. To open the event on Friday, Musicatreize and the Unitedberlin orchestral ensemble will perform in Marseille and then in Arles on Monday, with the addition of the new Meridiem Borealis choir made up of amateurs from the music industry, children’s choirs from Marseille and Arles, and Xenakis’Oresteia , which celebrates its 100th anniversary this year.
May the joy that composes the finale of this work be the symbol of the entire Rentrée des Chœurs 2022: a celebration of life, a great human fresco, festive and joyful!

Roland Hayrabedian, artistic director