2025 AU GRAND AIR SESSION

19 — 29 MAY 2025

For the fourth year in a row, the Orchestre des Jeunes de la Méditerranée’s "Au Grand Air" session, in partnership with Passerelles, the Festival d'Aix's cultural action department, is open to 4 young instrumentalists, singers, arrangers or composers from the Mediterranean basin.

Led by Violaine Fournier, this session invites 4 young artists from a wide range of musical backgrounds (classical music, jazz, traditional Mediterranean music, etc.) to create a musical walk through the discovery of an exceptional natural site: the Bibémus quarries. The music will be specially composed by the artists by immerging themselves into the environment and in dialogue with the history of the site. In this way, they become atypical guides offering a sensitive experience of the site to the public, as well as a genuine artistic discovery and encounter.

This program aims to strengthen the creativity of young artists, their awareness of the need to respect and value the environment around them, and their ability to interact with audiences as part of a shared musical narrative.

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Au Grand Air's musical creations are the fruit of a week-long OJM advanced training session led by the actress, singer and musical show creator Violaine Fournier. The program is developed with Passerelles, the Festival d'Aix's cultural action department, which is committed to making music accessible to as many people as possible.

The musical walk’s creations offer an original and sensitive discovery of the Bibémus quarries. Situated in the heart of the Grand Site Sainte-Victoire, these old quarries were shaped by the extraction of blocks of stone, and made famous by the paintings of Paul Cézanne depicting these lanscapes and the Sainte-Victoire mountain.

PERFORMANCES

• May 26, 27 and 28, 2025 : musical walks for Passerelles audiences.
• May 24, 28 and 29, 2025 – at 2.30 pm and 5 pm: musical walks open to the public

RESIDENCY PROGRAM

May 19 to 29, 2025
Travel days on May 18 and 30, 2025

• May 19 to 23: creative residency for the 4 selected artists under the mentorship of Violaine Fournier
• May 24: 2 musical walks open to the public
• May 25: day off.
• May 26: 2 musical walks for Passerelles audiences
• May 27: 2 musical walks for Passerelles audiences
• May 28: 1 musical walks for Passerelles audiences and 1 musical walks open to the public
• May 29 : 2 musical walks open to the public

MENTORSHIP

Violaine Fournier is a singer, playwright and author with a particular affinity for the Mediterranean heritage. During this “Au Grand Air” session, she shares her expertise in the creation of live shows, which aim to raise musical awareness among a wide range of audiences, by opening up and diversifying performance spaces and creations’ forms.

CRITERIA

The Orchestre des Jeunes de la Méditerranée is looking for high-level young artists with great potential, who are either young professionals or completing their postgraduate studies in one of the countries of the Mediterranean basin, and who aim to become professional musicians. The aim of the program is to support young artists in developing their creativity and acquiring new skills in artistic outreach and awareness-raising.

ARTISTIC PRATICES

• Classical and/or improvised music (all styles: traditional Mediterranean music, jazz, etc.)
• Very good instrumental and/or vocal level - fluency as an improviser
• All instruments and/or voice

PROFILES

• Very good instrumental or vocal technique and skills – current practice of musical improvisation, or even aptitude for arrangement and/or composition techniques.
• It is not required to have been, or to be, a student in a higher education institution. A first experience in an intercultural and collective creation will be appreciated.
• The session is opened to artists between 18 and 32 years old, at the beginning of their professional career.
• Fluency in professional English is required (working in an intercultural context).
• Sensitivity to public development, with the desire to develop skills in the field of reaching out a wide range of audiences

APPLICATION

• Selection process based on applications (CV, cover letter, video and audio) Apply
• Deadline: January 31, 2025 11:59PM (CET)

CONDITIONS

• The session runs from May 19 to 29 May (travel on 18 and 30 May).
• The artists will be under a training agreement during the creative mentoring period from 19 to 23 May, and then under a contract of employment during the performance with the public (remuneration in accordance with the Syndeac Agreement) on 24, 26, 27, 28 and 29 May.
• For the duration of the session, the Festival d'Aix will pay for: accommodation, lunches (midday), 1 return trip to Aix-en-Provence, the educational costs of the session.