ALINE FORIEL-DESTEZET: THE SPIRIT OF PHILANTHROPY

We sometimes forget that at the very beginning of the Festival d’Aix-en-Provence, alongside its founder Gabriel Dussurget, a patron, Countess Lily Pastré, helped make it all possible. Patronage has hence been at the core of the Festival from its very creation.

 

Aline Foriel-Destezet, you are an “exclusive Major Donor of the Archevêché” and are supporting the three productions that will be performed there this year (Le nozze di Figaro, Falstaff and The Golden Cockerel). How is this a “memorable space” for you? What is your personal history with the Festival? Also, you are driven by a spirit of philanthropy: how has this spirit become a key operator in the world of culture and in artistic creation?

I am driven and inspired by my passion for the arts and especially for music; and I hope that, through my patronage, I can help make producing magnificent concerts and operas possible. I find it extremely satisfying to contribute both financially and artistically to the programming of superb events.
The Festival today has become a key attraction, and this great summer event reminds me of memories from my youth. I have been coming to Aix-en-Provence since my earliest childhood, and I have many friends here. I became involved in music when I was eight years old, thanks to my grandparents. It was only later, when I was at university, that I discovered the Festival; and since then, I have been coming regularly. As a lover of classical music and opera, I find it totally natural to be a patron and to get personally involved.
In addition, the spirit of philanthropy has driven me for many years, and I wanted to satisfy that desire. So, I have been supporting many known and unknown artists in remarkable concerts and operas for several years now. Today, philanthropy is a key operator in musical creation.

 

Interview by Mathias Coullaud, May 2021