FESTIVALS 2023 THE GUIDE
welcomes musicians from France, Finland, Spain and Poland in the “spiritual and enchanting” setting of the Chartreuse du Liget heritage site, in Chemillé-sur-Indrois, not far from Tours. The concerts take place in an 18th-century barn converted into a concert hall. lachartreuseduligetenmusiques. com
Festival de musique Baroque et Sacrée de Froville
June 3–July 9, 2023
This is the 26th edition of Froville’s celebration of Baroque and church music. The town, a short way south of Nancy, has skilled musicians putting on the works of great composers such as Bach, Debussy, Satie, Tchaikovsky and Vivaldi.
www.festivaldefroville.com
Nancy Jazz Pulsations October 7–21, 2023
Every autumn, 100,000 or so music fans attend the various jazz concerts at this festival in Nancy and the surrounding regions. The 2023 line-up hadn’t been announced when we went to press, but it’s the 50th anniversary, so expect extra-special celebrations.
nancyjazzpulsations.com
Le Jardin du Michel June 2–4, 2023
The Meurthe-et-Moselle town of Toul is host to this music festival which welcomes 18,000 or so fans every year. All genres are covered, from rock, soul and hip hop to bluegrass, reggae, electro and folk. This year’s headliners include NYC punks Gogol Bordello, Breton rockers Matmatah, and Californian hard rockers Papa Roach.
jardin-du-michel.fr
Festival Interceltique August 4–13, 2023
As much a celebration of music as of Celtic heritage, Brittany’s annual Celtic
The Zemlinsky Quartet will perform at Wissembourg this year
festival in Lorient is a lively affair. Lasting just under a fortnight, it sees around 4,000 performers from Brittany, Scotland, Ireland, Wales and Cornwall congregating to honour all aspects of Celtic culture, from traditional music to some rather colourful sports (folk wrestling, anyone?). Expect parades, contests, concerts, workshops, sailing, art, craft markets and much more, as this northwest corner of France makes a proper song and dance about a distinctly northwest European culture. Headliners this year are Clannad and Suzanne Vega.
www.festival-interceltique.bzh
Vieilles Charrues July 13–17, 2023 Robbie Williams, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Blur, Idles, Morcheeba, Hot Chip… the line-up for this excellent music festival – one of France’s biggest – in the Brittany town of Carhaix is as eclectic as it is impressive. First set up in 1992, like all great music festivals, it started off very modestly with just a few bands, barbecues, boot-throwing competitions and 500 or so guests. Nowadays it regularly draws well over 200,000 music lovers. Previous headliners include Depeche Mode, Fatboy Slim, Lionel Richie, Neil Young and Bob Dylan. You might say it’s France’s equivalent to Glastonbury.
Oh, and by the way, in case you didn’t know, Vieilles Charrues means Old Ploughs.
www.vieillescharrues.asso.fr
Festival 1001 Notes July 23–29, 2023
The Limousin city of Limoges hosts this eclectic music festival staged at the city’s Olympic ice-skating venue. On offer this year are piano concertos, choral music, rap, jazz piano, electro, dance and even a tribute to the music of the Harry Potter films by pianist Delphine Pillich. Tickets start at €18.
festival1001notes.com
Rock en Seine August 23–27, 2023 Every August for nearly 20 years, the Domaine National de Saint-Cloud, right on the western edge of Paris and one of the most stunning gardens in the Île de France, hosts an enormous music festival with five stages and a campsite for all the revellers. Headlining this year are Billie Eilish, Florence and the Machine, Placebo, The Chemical Brothers and The Strokes. “It’s not just a music festival,” explains the event’s director, Matthieu Ducos. “We host photo and poster exhibitions, there’s a mini festival for children, conferences, debates… above all Rock en Seine is a meeting place, somewhere to express yourself.”
www.rockenseine.com/en
Jazz in Marciac July 20–August 6, 2023 Marciac has been staging a jazz festival since 1978 and in the past has hosted such luminaries as Ray Charles, Dizzy Gillespie, Stan Getz and Herbie Hancock. There are three festival venues, all in the centre of this southwestern town: a 10,000-capacity marquee, a 500-seat concert hall, and, offering free concerts, a stage near the Hôtel de Ville. This year, the genre of jazz has been stretched somewhat as acts include French rapper MC Solaar, rockin’ blues guitarist Joe Bonamassa, folk singers Suzanne Vega and Ben Harper, and soul supremo Gregory Porter.
www.jazzinmarciac.com
Festival International de Musique de Wissembourg August 19–September 3, 2023 Every year Wissembourg, a town in northern Alsace, invites many of the world’s best classical musicians to take part in this excellent music festival. This year there are 16 concerts spread out across the fortnight, featuring string trios and quartets, violinists, pianists, cellists and viola players. Featured composers include Brahms, Bach, Beethoven, Rachmaninov, Prokofiev, Schubert, Debussy, Satie, Chopin, Bartok and Tchaikovsky. It’s a real treat for lovers of classical music, especially chamber music.
www.wissembourg-festival.com
Festival International de Colmar July 5–14, 2023
This classical music festival in the chocolate-box Alsatian town of Colmar celebrates symphonic music, choral works and chamber music. “Masterpieces of the classical repertoire rub shoulders with rare works and first performances, and well-loved favourites are featured
❯❯ Jun/Jul 2023 FRANCE TODAY ❘ 125
IMAGE © ZEMLINSKY QUARTET
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