The Festival International d’Art Lyrique d’Aix-en-Provence is an annual international music festival held every summer in Aix-en-Provence.
Devoted mainly to opera, the event also includes concerts of orchestral, chamber, vocal and solo instrumental music.
Every summer, Aix-en-Provence hosts the Festival International d’Art Lyrique d’ Aix-en-Provence, also known as the Festival d’Aix-en-Provence, an event that celebrates opera, worldwide.
Founded in 1948, the festival features concerts and new productions of operas and operettas. Performances take place in a variety of venues, including: the courtyard of the Théâtre de l’Archevêché; the Grand Théâtre de Provence; the Jeu de Paumes, a restored 18th-century theater; the courtyard of the Hôtel Maynier d’Oppède; and the Théâtre du Grand Saint-Jean, in the grounds of a castle near Aix.
The programs change every year, but always count on one or two appearances by Mozart: his works have been a mainstay of the festival since its inception in the postwar years. In the first edition, in fact, “Così fan tutte,” an opera virtually unknown at the time by the French, was offered. The following year, “Don Giovanni” was proposed, which decreed the success of the festival, bringing about the rebirth of France at the artistic level.
Every year more than 70,000 spectators have the opportunity to appreciate the performances offered. In addition, the festival is increasingly opening up to a younger audience with targeted events that are very successful.
To find out about other events in Provence, click here.