Le Festival International des Orchestres de Jeunes en Provence
The Provençal Festival was born in 2005 as a sister festival to the International Festival of European Youth Orchestras (Florence) and following a collaboration with the Orchestre des Jeunes de la Mediterrannée (OJMED). Now in its 18th year, the Festival works in partnership with the Association Tournesol in l’Isle-sur-la-Sorgue and has hosted over 3500 young musicians representing Canada, USA, UK & Ireland, Spain, Holland, Belgium, Portugal, Germany, Latvia, Estonia, Switzerland, South Korea, Hong Kong, China, Australia, France, Israel, Norway, Brasil, Taiwan and Denmark. Youth, student and amateur orchestras from all over the world are welcome to participate, and each year the Festival is able to host a guest choir and band in specially selected venues.
"Venues include some of the most beautiful and iconic locations of the region."
The Festival takes place in outstanding venues across the entire region of Provence & Cote d’Azur, with principal locations including Aix-en-Provence, Arles, Tarascon, Aigues-Mortes, L’Isle-sur-la-Sorgue, La Tour d'Aigues, Villefranche-sur-Mer, Antibes and Martigues. Venues include main squares, churches, Cathedrals, courtyards, castles, abbeys, Roman ruins and open-air amphitheatres, in some of the most beautiful and iconic locations of the region.
...And it’s not just about the concerts…
Sight-seeing opportunities throughout this area are myriad and varied: you can spend your free time in between performances soaking up the Mediterranean sun on sandy beaches and café-clad squares, visit local markets, canoe under the Roman aqueduct of Pont du Gard, follow in the footsteps of Cezanne and Van Gogh through the cobbled, winding streets of Aix and Arles or admire the wildlife in the wild Camargue. All sight-seeing arrangements and excursions as well as accommodation to suit all budgets, instrument hire and transportation can be booked as part of your Festival package. Please just contact us for possible itineraries and quotations to suit your individual preferences and requirements.
ABOUT TIME
The Provençal Festival is managed by The International Music Exchange (TIME), UK.
TIME was formed in 2014 to create innovative, inspiring and accessible performance opportunities for international young musicians. Its founder, Tamsin Smith, is an amateur musician who performed in numerous ensembles as a child and teenager, graduated from the University of Oxford in Languages and has dedicated her entire 20-yr career to working for youth orchestras and ensembles, discovering new and unique venues, establishing festivals and building up trusted, long-term relationships with musical partners in all corners of the continent.
The TIME team is small yet knowledgeable, experienced and highly skilled: we are all musicians and linguists who have travelled extensively and performed under various guises around the world. The entire team and our trusted partners have one thing in common: a love for music and a desire to bring the unique passion and vibrant energy of young musicians to new and appreciative audiences in outstanding concert venues.
TIME is not a tour operator: we can expertly handle all aspects of your tour from coach transportation and hotel to instrument hire, packed lunches and guided tours (bespoke to your budget) but our speciality lies in creating exceptional performance opportunities for all natures of ensemble, incomparable to those offered by your regular tour operator. We are a not-for-profit arts organisation dedicated to forming authentic and inspiring experiences, cultural immersion and lasting memories for young musicians and audiences alike.
