In Nice, classical music is free and “It’s not classical.”

Created in 2005 by the General Council of the Alpes-Maritimes, this extraordinary event indulges in classical music and is experiencing growing success year after year. In total contrast to all existing festivals, the General Council of the Alpes-Maritimes has taken the stance, with “C’est pas Classique,” to ignore preconceived notions to allow as many people as possible to discover Great music freely, without ticketing or fuss. For 3 days, young and old alike are invited to wander through the performance halls to discover classical music in all its forms, from piano recitals to performances by a philharmonic orchestra.

With a selection of a hundred concerts and a capacity of 50,000 seats, “C’est pas Classique” immediately stands out as the most important event of its kind in the country, and the only one to display such a commitment to democratization and education.

The other originality of this event lies in the fact that its program is partly provided by professional and amateur musicians from the Conservatories, music schools, and major orchestras of the Alpes-Maritimes.

“C’est pas Classique” also features the greatest performers and conductors: Philippe AUGUIN, Nicolas BRINGUIER, Alain JOUTARD, Philippe BENDER, Gilles APAP, Didier LOCKWOOD, Laurent KORCIA…
Proximity pushed to its climax… The event fascinates, enchants, and blurs the lines until it brings its audience onto the stage. Workshops, master classes, demonstrations, and wanderings assert the originality of the concept by offering simple curiosities as well as the more knowledgeable, direct contact with professionals. Here, exchanges are king, regardless of the public’s knowledge of classical music, provided they embrace the Art and dictate the manner.

A few figures…

Some benchmarks:

2005: First edition of the event

2006: Highlight event “The Lord of the Rings Symphony,” performed by an orchestra of 130 musicians and 200 choristers in the presence of the composer Howard Shore

2007: “Tribute to Luciano Pavarotti and Maria Callas” presented by Eve Ruggieri and “Ecce Cor Meum” by Paul McCartney

2008: Celebration of “Virgin Classics” 20th anniversary and opening of the Nice Opera for the dress rehearsal of “Macbeth”

2009: Carte blanche to Laurent Korcia

Attendance:

2005: 30,000 spectators
2006: 40,000 spectators
2007: 50,000 spectators
2008: 52,000 spectators
2009: 55,000 spectators

Number of shows and number of artists:

100 concerts in 3 days
1,000 artists per edition

FULL PROGRAM OF EVENTS

Friday, November 12, 2010

• 2:30 PM Apollon Auditorium – Educational concert for middle school students “The Rite of Spring” by Igor Stravinsky (1 hour 30)
  Young audience
• 8:30 PM Athena Auditorium – Quatuor Ebene “Fiction” (1 hour 30) “C’est pas classique”

• 9:00 PM Apollon Auditorium – Grand opening concert “The Violin in all its states, its repertoires, and its stars”

Saturday, November 13, 2010

• 1:15 PM Place Garibaldi / Avenue de la République – La Rumeur Company “Piano Wanderer” (45 min)
  Strolling

• 1:15 PM Agora 1 – Trio Joker (45 min)
  Animation

• 2:00 PM Mediterranean Space – Conservatoire de Nice “La belle époque” (45 min)
  Concert

• 2:00 PM Hermes Auditorium – Museaav “Cinderella” (1 hour)
  Young audience (from 7 years)

• 2:00 PM Rhodes Space – That Hits “The Percussion Orchestra of the Côte d’Azur” (1 hour)
  Concert

• 2:00 PM Apollon Auditorium – Cirque O Présent Company “Pentimento” (1 hour)
  C’est pas classique

• 2:00 PM Athena Auditorium – Claude Kahn “Tribute to the bicentenary of the birth of Chopin and Schuman (45 min)
  Concert

• 2:15 PM Place Garibaldi / Avenue de la République – Municipal Harmony of Nice (30 min)
  Concert

• 2:15 PM Gallieni AB Room – Piano initiation concert for 6 to 13-year-olds (45 min)
  Young audience

• 2:30 PM Gallieni 2 Room – Musical awakening workshop – Fleurs de Peau Company (45 min)
  Young audience from 1 to 5 years

• 2:45 PM Place Garibaldi / Avenue de la République – La Rumeur Company “Piano Wanderer” (45 min)
  Strolling

• 2:45 PM Agora 1 – Trio Joker (45 min)
  Animation

• 3:00 PM Rhodes Space – The Abstract Classic “The Abstract Classic” (45 min)
  C’est pas classique

  • 3:30 PM Mediterranean Space – Instrumental Ensemble of Nice (45 min)
    Concert
• 3:30 PM Hermes Auditorium – Gisèle Aramana (45 min)
  Concert

• 3:30 PM Gallieni AB Room – Piano initiation concert for children from 3 to 6 years
  (45 min)
  Young audience

• 3:30 PM Gallieni 5 Room– That Hits “Keyboard initiation workshop” (1 hour)
  Adult workshop

• 3:45 PM Rhodes Space – Harmony of the Departmental School of Music (1 hour)
  Concert

• 3:45 PM Gallieni 2 Room – Musical awakening workshop – Fleurs de Peau Company (45 min)
  Young audience from 1 to 5 years

• 3:45 PM Apollon Auditorium – Youth Orchestra of the Mediterranean “The Rite of Spring” (45 min)
  Concert

• 4:00 PM Athena Auditorium – Ecla Theatre Company “Peter and the Wolf” and “The Carnival of the Animals” (1 hour 15)
  Young audience from 8 years

• 4:15 PM Place Garibaldi / Avenue de la République – La Rumeur Company “Piano Wanderer” (45 min)
  Strolling

• 4:15 PM Agora 1 – Marie-Dominique Mezin and Stéphane Eliot “Lyrical Interludes” (45 min)
  Animation

• 4:45 PM Hermes Auditorium – B. Guitar Quartet (45 min)
  Concert

• 4:45 PM Gallieni AB Room – Young talents of the Alpes-Maritimes (1 hour 45)
  Concert

• 5:00 PM Gallieni 2 Room– Fleurs de Peau Company “Fleurs de peau” (45 min)
  Young audience from 1 to 5 years

• 5:00 PM Gallieni 5 Room– That Hits “Keyboard initiation workshop” (1 hour)
  Adult workshop

• 5:15 PM Mediterranean Space – Société de Musique Ancienne de Nice “the baroque dances its follies” (1 hour)
  C’est pas classique

– 5:15 PM Rhodes Space – Inter-conservatory Harmony (45 min)
Concert

• 5:45 PM Agora 1 – Marie-Dominique Mezin and Stéphane Eliot “Lyrical Interludes” (45 min)
  Animation

• 6:00 PM Hermes Auditorium “A Divine Comedy” based on the work of Dante Alighieri (1 hour)
  C’est pas classique

• 6:00 PM Rhodes Space – The Abstract Classic “The Abstract Classic” (45 min)
  C’est pas classique

• 6:15 PM Apollon Auditorium – Zakhar Bron & his student Wen-Chun Lin accompanied by the Regional Orchestra of Cannes Provence Alpes-Côte d’Azur “Master class and concerto” (ORPACA) (1 hour 15)
  Concert

• 6:30 PM Athena Auditorium – Élisabeth Vidal and André Cognet “Spectacular Opera Solos!” (1 hour)
  Lyric concert

• 6:30 PM Gallinei 5 Room – That Hits “Keyboard initiation workshop” (1 hour)
  Adult workshop

• 6:45 PM Rhodes Space – Municipal Harmony of Nice (1 hour)
  Concert

• 7:00 PM Gallieni AB Room – Trio Zodiac (45 min)
  Concert

• 7:45 PM Mediterranean Space – Laurent Cirade and Paul Staïcu “Duel Opus 2”
  (1 hour)
  C’est pas classique

• 8:00 PM Hermes Auditorium – Mediterranean Lyric Art Center “The great heroines with tragic destinies” (45 min)
  Concert

• 8:00 PM Rhodes Space – The Abstract Classic “The Abstract Classic” (4 hours)
  C’est pas classique

• 9:00 PM Apollon Auditorium – Nice Philharmonic Orchestra and the Nice Opera Choir “Film Music” (1 hour 30)
  Event evening

• 9:00 PM Athena Auditorium – Trio Wanderer “Recital” (1 hour)
  Concert

  Sunday, November 14, 2010

• 1:15 PM Agora 1 – Zingaria (45 min)
  Animation

• 2:00 PM Athena Auditorium – Auteuil Zéro 4 Virgule 7 Company “A Taste of Your Mouth” (1 hour 15)
  C’est pas classique

• 2:15 PM Rhodes Space – Youth Band of Nice Harmony (45 min)
  Concert

• 2:15 PM Hermes Auditorium – Conservatories and music schools of the Alpes-Maritimes and Monaco “Tribute to Schumann” (1 hour 15)
  Concert

• 2:15 PM Gallieni AB Room – Souchav, De Pasquale, Sabourin “Scarlatti goes electro” (45 min)
  Young audience

• 2:30 PM Mediterranean Space – Frédéric Bernachon “Piano Recital” (45 min)
  Concert

• 2:30 PM Apollon Auditorium – Baroque Ensemble of Nice and the Regional Vocal Choir Côte d’Azur – “Gloria” and “Stabat Mater” by Vivaldi (1 hour 15)
  Event concert

• 2:30 PM Gallieni 5 Room – ArtCanto “Choir Karaoke” (1 hour)
  Workshop

• 2:45 PM Agora 1 – Zingaria (45 min)
  Animation

• 3:00 PM Rhodes Space – The Abstract Classic “The Abstract Classic” (45 min)
  C’est pas classique

• 3:00 PM Gallieni 2 Room – Departmental School of Music “Chopin, the Myth” (1 hour 15)
  Concert – conference

• 3:30 PM Mediterranean Space – Michaël Desjardin “Piano Recital” (45 min)
  Concert

• 3:45 PM Rhodes Space – City of Nice Fire Brigade Music (1 hour)
  Concert

– 3:45 PM Gallieni AB – Les Délices “Gallant Music” (45 min)
Concert

• 4:00 PM Hermes Auditorium – Voxabularies “Bright Spots” (1 hour 15)
  Concert

• 4:00 PM Gallieni 5 Room – Gospel Workshop (45 min)
  Adult workshop

• 4:15 PM Agora 1 – Trio Joker (45 min)
  Animation

• 4:30 PM Athena Auditorium – Nathalie Choquette “The Diva” (1 hour)
  Young audience

• 4:30 PM Gallieni 2 Room – “Destination New World” (1 hour)
  Concert

• 4:45 PM Rhodes Space – The Abstract Classic “The Abstract Classic” (45 min)
  C’est pas classique

• 5:00 PM Mediterranean Space – Azure Symphony Orchestra “Bohemian Nostalgia” (1 hour)
  Concert

• 5:00 PM Apollon Auditorium – Regional Orchestra of Cannes PACA “Nice Pianists” (1 hour 30)
  Concert

• 5:15 PM Gallieni 5 Room – Gospel Workshop (45 min)
  Adult workshop

• 5:15 PM Gallieni AB Room – Departmental Conservatory of Music of the Alpes-Maritimes “Piada takes to the sea” (45 min)
  Concert

• 5:45 PM Hermes Auditorium – Diane Aidenbaum (45 min)
  Concert

• 5:45 PM Rhodes Space – Brass Band Mediterranée (1 hour)
  Concert

• 6:00 PM Agora 1 – Choral Workshop “Choir Karaoke” (45 min)
  Adult workshop

• 6:15 PM Gallieni 2 Room – Duo Belakerina “Russian Music Concert” (45 min)
  Concert

• 6:45 PM Gallieni AB Room – Marie-Dominique Mezin, Stéphane Eliot “Tribute to Callas” (1 hour)
  Concert

• 7:00 PM Mediterranean Space – Orchestra of the Alpes de la Mer “Miserere and Magnificat” by Baldassare Galuppi (1 hour)
  Concert

• 7:00 PM Agora 1 – Trio Joker (45 min)
  Animation

• 7:00 PM Athena Auditorium – Quai n°5 (45 min)
  C’est pas classique

• 7:00 PM Rhodes Space – The Abstract Classic “The Abstract Classic”
  (2 hours 30)
  C’est pas classique

• 7:15 PM Hermes Auditorium – La compagnie le cri du choeur (45 min)
  Concert

• 8:00 PM Apollon Auditorium – Nice Philharmonic Orchestra “Famous Overtures, Polkas, and Waltzes” (1 hour 15)
  Event evening