EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMMES
Concerts coup de foudre
Classical music brought to young people in the conditions of a real concert
Contact:
Jean-Baptiste Blocquaux
+33 (0)1 45 20 82 56
jb.blocquaux@le-palaisroyal.com
What is a coup de foudre concert?
Introduced by Jean-Philippe Sarcos, the coup de foudre concerts come in two formats:
- the educational coup de foudre concert for secondary and primary pupils: 1 hr 15 in the conditions of a real public concert, including a question-and-answer session at the end;
- the participatory coup de foudre concert for secondary and primary pupils: 1 hr 15, in the format of Mozart en piste: actors, dancers, acrobats and audience participation at key moments of the show.
With the coup de foudre concerts, Le Palais royal works all year round to bring classical music to young people from culturally disadvantaged areas or isolated rural regions. Like falling in love at first sight, we want to spark an aesthetic jolt in these young people. We want them to let themselves be touched by beauty and to realise that this heritage is their own.
To this end, Jean-Philippe Sarcos creates bespoke programmes of excellence. On the one hand, the concerts take place in the same conditions as those given in the greatest halls and festivals: singers and instrumentalists perform at full strength, with internationally renowned soloists and in concert dress. On the other hand, the programme performed is the same, punctuated by explanations from Jean-Philippe Sarcos to give the young audience the context of the works and the keys to understanding them. Finally, a question-and-answer session allows them to ask the conductor and musicians about every aspect of the concert: the works played, the instruments, the musician’s career, conducting, and so on.
Everything is designed to make these young people feel close to the artists and the conductor. Thanks to these means, participation, emotion and enthusiasm are there, and the magic happens.
These coup de foudre concerts aim to spark the desire to listen to classical music and attend concerts, and even to reveal artistic vocations — as in this comment from a Year 10 student in Nancy who told us: “I thought I wasn’t going to like it, but it interested me. I think I’m going to start listening to Mozart. (I’d like to learn the violin.)“
Here is also what teachers say:
All the accompanying teachers, parents and I wished to thank the orchestra Le Palais royal and the singers, under the baton of Jean-Philippe Sarcos, for the quality of the concert given to our 180 Year 7 pupils. This concert of Rossini opera arias, on Tuesday 2 April 2024 at the Salle Gaveau, was the occasion for many pupils to attend a classical music concert for the very first time. It is a challenge to bring the culture of classical music to eleven-year-olds, sometimes from very distant backgrounds. We are therefore grateful to the orchestra Le Palais royal and its organisers.
TV report on ViaGrandParis by Yasmina Bandaïda — a coup de foudre at the church in Saclas as part of Le Palais royal’s residency in the Essonne, October 2019.
Support the coup de foudre concerts
Would you like to support the coup de foudre concerts? Join the Circle of Patrons.
And what if your company became a patron of the coup de foudre concerts?
With the support of the patrons of the coup de foudre concerts
