What's Up This Weekend in Provence?

Classical Music in Eygalieres

American flutist  Julie Scolnik, who spends her summers in Eygalieres, will give her fifth annual recital in the local church, Eglise St Laurent, this Sunday, July 17, at 7  p.m. Julie offers a free concert for the village every summer "as a way of giving back to this most beautiful corner of the world, my home away from home." Julie and Parisian pianist Aurelien Pontier will play works by Bach, Czerny, Doppler, Elgar...and the formidable Franck Violin Sonata in a beautiful transcription for flute. For more info: julscol@me.com or 04 37 40 61 86. See you in church!

Jazz Under the Stars in St. Remy

As a prelude to the St. Remy Jazz Festival (September 15 to 18), a concert called Jazz Under the Stars (Jazz sous les Etoiles) will be held tonite, Friday July 15 at 8:30 p.m. in the gardens of the Hotel de Sade. Food will be served from 8 p.m. onwards. For all the info, click here or email (jazzasaintremy@gmail.com) or call 04-90-94-68-35.  Tickets are 16€ per person or 13€ for subscribers.

Organ Recital in St. Remy

The St. Remy Organ Festival (Festival Organa 2011) continues with a recital on Saturday July 16 at 6:30 p.m. Pascal Marsault, professor at CRR Toulon Provence Mediterranee, will perform on the church's massive organ built in 1923, with three keyboards and 62 stops. All Organ Festival concerts are at the Collégiale Saint-Martin (the big church) in St. Remy and this concert is free but donations will be accepted. For info, click here.


A Party to Celebrate APaRT at the Gorgeous Dalmeran

As part of the ongoing multi-village international contemporary art festival called APaRT, there will be a reception  Sunday July 17  to celebrate the group show at Domaine de Dalmeran in St.-Etienne-du-Gres. The artists are Corine Ferté, Fred Gautron, Tony Soulie, Barbara Segal and Claude Viallat.  The event begins at 7 p.m. and all are welcome.  Another large ApArt event, called Nuit de la Performance, will be held Thursday, July 21st in Tarascon. Think of it as a big pub crawl through many venues (including the castle, two chapels and the Musee Souleiado), with performance art, film projections and more. It begins at 5:30 p.m. and runs until just before midnight. APaRT began July 7 and runs through August 17. For more events, shows and info, click here. (Above: APaRT poster and Cervus Elaphus © Corine Ferté, 2011).


Modern Dance in Vaison

The 16th annual international festival of dance called Vaison Danses runs until July 26. On Saturday July 16, Sylvie Guillem and Akram Khan will perform "Sacred Monsters." Sylvie is a Paris-bron prima ballerina known for immense strength and lyricism while the London-based Akram "dazzles with astonishing speed, precision and power." Sacred Monsters explores the boundaries between ballet and kathak, with a live music ensemble featuring cirtuoso cellist Philip Sheppard. All performances held in the Theatre Antique in Vaison-la-Romaine. For tickets and complete festival info, click here or call 04-90-28-74-74.


Following the Arman Trail...and a Bear Show!

If you haven't seen Arman at Les Baux, this would be a great weekend to do it. Until October 16, Les Baux is shining the spotlight on the French artist Armand Fernandez, better known as Arman. He was born in Nice in 1928 and died in New York in 2005. In fall 2010, the Centre Pompidou staged a major show of his work, which then traveled to the Tinguely (Basel). For this show in Les Baux, the atmosphere of Arman's home and workplace are reinterpreted in various locations, displaying how the artist lived and worked. In the evening, his work is projected onto the walls of the medieval village (until October 16). Passes to the Arman trail are 7€ adults; 5€ age 7 to 17; under 7 free. For info: call 04-90-54-34-39 or tourisme@lesbauxdeprovence.com or click here. This weekend in addition to the Arman trail, there's a special "medieval animation" at the Chateau of Les Baux. Called The Bear Trainer, the show tells the story of the special relationship between a man and two bears: a  brown bear weighing 250 kg and Valentin, a black bear. The show runs until July 17 and there's a combined ticket for the Arman trail and chateau entrance. For more info, click here. Every Friday evening until August 15, the Musée Yves Brayer, the Fondation Louis Jou and the castle will be open untill 10 p.m. 

British and American Blues in Antibes

On Saturday night July 16th in Antibes, enjoy an evening of British and American Blues with John Phil Wayne, who plays guitar, bass and accompaniment. A former band member for Memphis Slim, John Lee Hooker, David Bowie and others, John will be joined by the U.S bluesman Benny Ross (who has played with Miles Davis, Luther Allison, Marcus Miller and Dizzy Gillespie) on vocals and sax. Doors open at 8.30 p.m.; concert runs from 9:30 to 11 p.m.  Entry is €17 and includes one drink. Parking is free in the yard. After the show, there will be a DJ and dancing until 2:30 a.m. The venue is the Top Ten Concert Club, 2047, Route De Nice, Antibes, 04 93 74 78 14.

PLUS, THESE FESTIVALS ARE ONGOING: 

The Festival d'Aix until July 25...

The Festival d'Avignon until July 26...
The OFF Festival of Avignon until July 31st...
The Jazz a Juan Festival from July 14 to 24...
The Festival de Lacoste (music and theater) July 15 to Aug 5...
The National Ballet of Marseille through July 25...
The Festival de Nimes through July 23...
The Choregies d'Orange Opera season runs through August 2...
The Rencontres d'Arles Photo Festival through September 18th.
Enjoy!!