In addition to its annual June program and its Métis component, the Saint-Denis Festival conducts cultural activities throughout the year through tours intended for different audiences in the region. In this vein and thanks to the support of the Île-de-France region, the Festival has been inviting young talents to high schools in the Paris region since 2018.

This year, the Saint-Denis Festival is working with 8 high schools in the Paris region.

The main objective of this cultural tour is to introduce high school students to the world of classical music by listening to a concert and then meeting and talking with the artists. The aim is also to introduce them to the architectural heritage of the region.

To achieve this, the project takes place in 3 stages*:

In November 2020, workshops to raise awareness of lyrical singing with Festival artist-interveners, followed by recitals with young talents, directly in the establishments.
In March 2021, a guided tour of the Basilica of Saint-Denis.
In May and June 2021, high school students will participate in an open dress rehearsal as part of the Festival’s programming.

In 2020/21, 8 high schools from 4 departments in the Paris region are participating in this course. Following the lockdown announced on October 28, 2020, 3 high schools from 2 departments participated in the first phase of the course: the Fragonard general high school in L’Isle-Adam, the Charlotte Delbo comprehensive high school in Dammartin-en-Goële and the Nadia and Fernand Léger comprehensive high school in Argenteuil. The rest of the project will be implemented depending on how the health situation evolves, in high schools in Chelles, Mantes-la-Jolie, Saint-Denis, Bondy and Goussainville.

6 classes from these 3 high schools previously participated in awareness workshops with Angèle Chemin and Laurent David, both opera singers, on November 18 and 20, 2020. They then attended baroque singing recitals with soprano Julia Beaumier, mezzo-soprano Laure Ilef and keyboardist Constance Taillard, all three members of the ensemble Les Surprises, from November 23 to 25, 2020. It was also an opportunity to chat with these three artists after the concert.

*These dates may change depending on how the health situation evolves