Grand Opening of Chamonix's Maison des Artistes
Long-awaited Maison des Artistes to open today
After a longer wait than initially predicted, a definitive opening date has now been announced - La Maison des Artistes will throw its doors open on 6th June!
La Maison des Artistes is the brainchild of musician, music producer and judge on one of France's top music talent shows, André Manoukian (kind of a gallic Simon Cowell). Housed in one of Chamonix's most historic and architecturally distinctive buildings, the new venue for live music has been much anticipated and we're all dying to go in and have a nose around.
The new venue aims to welcome the best international jazz musicians to our little town, not only to perform but also to host master classes and workshops, to organise music competitions, and to take part in recording sessions. Many of these events will be open to the public and to amateur musicians who want to involve themselves in the cultural life of Chamonix.
Concerts will take place from late afternoon and into the evening, offering a different type of apres-ski to the usual venues. La Maison will have a bar and is aiming for a relaxed ambience where people can come and enjoy some live music in a friendly environment.
La Maison des Artistes will not only limit itself to music but will also welcome creativity in all its forms, such as art and literature. The plan is to have a literary café with residency being offered to selected writers and to hold regular writing seminars. There will also be exhibition space for photography, painting and sculpture.
Known locally as "La Tournette" the house dates back to 1905 and looks like something out of a fairytale by the Grimm brothers, with a pointed roof and windows facing every possible direction. Originally owned by the Couttet family, it was last lived in by Maurice Herzog who was mayor of Chamonix in 1968. His family sold the house to Chamonix council in 2000 and no one has quite known what to do with it since, so it sadly fell into disrepair. After an extensive renovation it is now ready to live again as a music venue and cultural meeting point.
Located in the small park behind the casino on Chemin de la Tournette, the house is right in the centre of Chamonix.
André Manoukian is also the man behind Cosmojazz; an annual jazz festival that has gone from a few obscure musos twiddling away at jam sessions to a week-long extravaganza when international musicians gather in Chamonix to play in amazing locations such as beside lakes, on mountain peaks and sometimes even inside the cable cars!
André's vision is for Cosmojazz to be the heart of culture in Chamonix, and for La Maison des Artistes to be the lungs that keep it beating all year round - watch this space for details of upcoming events and concerts!
