21 years ago...
The first ever VIOLON SUR LE SABLE took place 21 years ago on the large, sandy beach of Royan. It began as a lone violinist playing along to a pre-recorded orchestral accompaniment. The following year the single violinist became a quartet; the year after it was a chamber group; then a small orchestra of twenty musicians with a conductor. Within a few years it had grown into a symphony orchestra of 55 members and has been conducted by Jérôme Pillement since 1992.
In 1999, the VIOLON SUR LE SABLE became part of the departmental festival “Sites en Scène” and was transformed into the week long festival of three different concerts that we know today. This important step was made possible thanks to the combined support of the Town of Royan and the “Conseil Général de la Charente Maritime”.
The size of the orchestra has continued to grow and it now comprises no less than 85 classical musicians selected from some of the most famous European orchestras. Talented and famous soloists are invited to perform with the orchestra and each concert finishes with a bang as the sky is lit up with fireworks.
With an audience of around 40 000 per evening, the sandy beach of Royan is transformed into a magnificent concert hall where both young and old sit on the sand under the stars and savor this unique musical experience...
