Since Monday, the Conservatoire National à Rayonnement Régional (CNRR) of Nice has launched Percussion Week. Every day, concerts and other performances follow one another. This Wednesday, the music training classes of the conservatory performed.
The Joseph Kosma Auditorium of the conservatory filled up suddenly. For this second performance of the day, the venue is packed. On stage, the youngest musicians are getting ready. Fabienne Volto, coordinator of the music training classes (music theory), confides at the end of the show: “for the first part, we had almost 150 children on stage!” The first to begin are around 7 years old. Their only instrument, their hands. This is how we discover clapping. The principle is simple: clap your hands in rhythm and produce a pseudo-melody with your claps. Guaranteed effect, the audience is captivated.
“We had six different aesthetics this afternoon.“
Régis Famelart, coordinator of the percussion department of the Conservatory and organizer of the event explains: "we had six different aesthetics this afternoon." Persian, Indian, African, contemporary, and Latin American sounds punctuated the show. "Through this initiative, I wanted people to discover the traditional, contemporary, and ethnic sounds of different percussions," he adds. Spectators were able to discover the tabla, an Indian percussion instrument, but also the more classic Latin American congas and the African djembe. A great performance by the conservatory's students: "I am proud of what we have accomplished with these young people, especially since none of them are percussionists. They learned everything in three months. I congratulate them!" adds Régis.
Percussion Week continues until Saturday
The events dedicated to percussion continue until Saturday. On Thursday, it's the students of the conservatory's percussion classes who will perform on the Joseph Kosma auditorium stage. Friday, it’s a contemporary music concert. Saturday, for the last day, the conservatory offers a "open doors and ears day". Workshops for discovering percussion instruments (zarb, tablas, congas, and djembes) open to the public.
Justine Peltier
