By The Arles Project Staff
Arlesians gathered in the city’s many plazas to enjoy performances from local musicians and students June 21 as part of the nationwide Fête de la Musique.
”It’s alive,” said Arles resident and music student Maria Del Mar. “It is the moment to be. You are concentrating on what you are doing and people are watching and feeling you and exchanging with you.”
Fête de la Musique has annually animated French streets every June 21 since 1982.
This year, students from Conservatoire du Pays d’Arles, a local music school, showcased their musical talents at Le Capitole in La Roquette.
The eldest of the three sisters, Judith, aspires to specialize in classical music. However, for her, the fun is in the familial aspect of her musical endeavors. “It’s very nice playing with my sisters because I can help them. I really like when we can practice together and play all together.”
Helping her band, The Sheshs, set up, Lisa Guibaud said that this festival is great for the city because it attracts even more tourists to Arles. “It makes the city alive, so it is really cool,” Guibaud said.
At La Place Voltaire, children gathered to watch and even perform. “If I am in France and there is la Fête de la Musique, I go” said Yodit Kebede, the mother of a young performer. Kebede has been attending the festival since her own childhood.
Young students from a nearby music school came out to perform hit classic rock songs such as “Boys Don’t Cry” by The Cure and “Sultans of Swing” by Dire Straits.
“I think people are drawn to the rhythm,” said Marco Xavier, who was taking in the scene. “Our bodies have a rhythm, too.” This sentiment was also seen in the west end of La Roquette, where residents gathered to sing, dance, and enjoy delicious food. Among the songs sung by the assembled choir was one titled “Gentrifica,” a song that expressed local frustrations with the rising costs of housing due to the spread of Airbnbs.
Liam Franceschi is a twelve-year-old student at Studio Franceschi, a music studio in Arles, France. He has a variety of talents, including playing the piano, electric guitar and singing, which he has been doing for five years and counting. “I started singing by myself and wanted to start learning the lyrics and sing with other people,” Franceschi said.
His father, the director of the school, has taught him many skills. Liam doesn’t have a favorite genre to play or sing to, but he does not enjoy French rap as much.
The celebration brought a stream of business to cafes and restaurants such as Floris Artisan Glacier in the Place de Republique. “It is the opening of the season, it is the moment where people start to come and all and it is a festivity when all the bars and restaurants start to organize everything,” said Pascal Jeom-Phillipe.
The day ended with a collective concert held by Rockette Records in front of the Saint-Trophime Primital Church in Place de la République, with flashing lights, and fog for a rave. The featured performers were Makassa, Vax Populi, Bison Bison Falling Down, Salah, and DJ Transition. The energy of the crowd was electrifying with people standing on top of each other and screaming their hearts out all night long.
Video by Hannah Levitan
Reported by Thomas Murphy, Karla Valdez, McCade Hayes, Morgan Lily Neuhauser, Lydia Perez, and Judas Wiley. Featured image by Surya Vaidy.
