Everything you need to know about the Sacred Art Festival which begins this Saturday in Antibes

This year, the Sacred Art Festival is celebrating several anniversaries. The ^34th edition of the event, held from tomorrow until September 21 in several sacred places in the city of the ramparts, commemorates the reconstruction of the Notre-Dame-l'Immaculée-Conception cathedral, destroyed in 1124 following an attack by the Saracens. "In addition to the concerts organized in the building, the Saracen tower, which is just in front of the cathedral, will be illuminated in gold every evening for the duration of the festival," reveals Philippe Depétris ⁽¹⁾ , founder and artistic advisor of the festival (and local press correspondent for Nice-Matin ). Music lovers, both experienced and amateur, will be able to enjoy eclectic concerts in the cathedral, the chapels of La Garoupe, Saint-Bernardin, Saint-Jean as well as the bandstand on the Place Nationale. Among the highlights of the festival, the Cannes National Orchestra, "a regular partner of the festival since its beginnings" and which celebrates its fiftieth anniversary this year, will perform the Requiem by French composer Gabriel Fauré at the cathedral on September 18.

Between artistic demands and accessibility

"I try to create a balance by adapting to the public's tastes while introducing them to new artists and repertoires," says the artistic advisor. Another key moment of the event: the world premiere of a lecture-concert, on September 14 at the Saint-Bernardin chapel, around the figure of Gioacchino Rossini, carried by Frédéric Vitoux, member of the French Academy, Philippe Depétris on the flute as well as a string trio of Italian musicians. The chapel will also host, on September 21, the Otxote men's choir of Bayonne, for a concert of Basque songs.

The festival is firmly committed to diversity and access for all. Several concerts are free, such as the one by Corou de Berra, the polyphonic singing ensemble from the Southern Alps, on September 6 at the bandstand in Place Nationale. "Every time we organize an outdoor concert, it goes very well. People sitting on the terraces play along and find it very enjoyable ," says Philippe Depétris, adding, "the idea is not to create a festival for specialists, but really to open this art form to everyone. We're not going to ask for a religious card at the entrance."

From September 6 to 21, full program and reservations at festivalartsacre-antibes.fr