Category: Actualité

Festival Oiseau Bleu: A Celebration of Classical Music in Nice

The Oiseau Bleu Festival, a must-see event for classical music lovers, returns to Nice for its second edition, promising an emotional journey filled with musical discoveries. Renowned for its varied and eclectic program, this festival is sure to delight music lovers of all backgrounds.

A varied and enriching program

The Festival Oiseau Bleu stands out for its program that spans eras and styles, offering a complete and diverse musical experience.

Baroque Music with the Calisto Ensemble

Baroque music lovers will be delighted by the two programs presented by the Ensemble Calisto. The first program, “Da Tempeste,” explores the essential love arias of the 18th century, with works by Vivaldi and Handel. The second program, “La Reine Christine,” takes us on a journey to discover the musical circle of the scandalous Queen of Sweden, with compositions by Cesti, Stradella, and Corelli.

Opera with “Organ and Opera”

The program “Organ and Opera” is a tribute to famous arias and love duets from opera. This concert promises to be a magical moment, where timeless opera melodies will be performed with passion and precision, accompanied by the Electone.

Classical Music with the Enchanting Mozart Concert

The Enchanting Mozart Concert showcases Mozart's sacred music. This concert will be a unique opportunity to discover sacred works that are less known to the general public, performed with great sensitivity.

Chamber Music with the Ondine Duo

The Ondine Duo takes us on a musical journey through two concerts. “La Nuit d'Espagne” explores Spanish melodies, while “L'Âme Russe” immerses us in the world of Slavic melody. These chamber music concerts will be a unique opportunity to discover intimate and moving works.

Instrumental Program “Baroque Europe”

The instrumental program “Europe Baroque” features a duo from Nice consisting of a harpsichord and a viola. This concert will be a true immersion into the sound world of European Baroque music.

Organ Concerts

The organ concerts at the Festival Oiseau Bleu will be a unique sound experience. “La Voix Céleste” explores the fusion of the organ and the voice, while “Sound the Trumpet” plunges us into the world of rivalry and fusion between these two instruments.

Piano Concert

A piano recital entitled “Extase” immerses us in a dreamlike world where dreams and nightmares intertwine to create an unforgettable musical experience.

Transversal Concert “Promenade des Anglais”

The concert “Promenade des Anglais” offers a journey through time with English music. This cross-genre concert will be an opportunity to discover a variety of works, ranging from early music to more contemporary compositions, all in an enchanting setting.

Local influence

The Festival Oiseau Bleu places particular emphasis on local influence. Each concert features one or more local musicians, providing a platform for talent from the region. This initiative not only supports local artists, but also enriches the music scene in Nice.

Festival Oiseau Bleu: unforgettable musical moments

The Festival Oiseau Bleu is much more than just a classical music festival. It is a celebration of musical diversity, a tribute to great composers, and a showcase for local talent. Whether you are a fan of baroque, classical, chamber, or organ music, this festival has something to offer you. Don't miss this unique opportunity to experience unforgettable musical moments in Nice.

Organ & Opera in Nice is a beautiful opera concert that returns every year as part of the Festival Oiseau Bleu. The festival opens with a grand celebration, so come and share this moment of joy!

Organ & Opera in Nice

Sunday, July 6 at 5:00 p.m.

Come listen to the most beautiful arias and love duets from opera, such as Bellini's "Casta diva," Gounod's "Juliette's Waltz," excerpts from "La fille du régiment" and "Don Pascuale" by Donizetti and ‘Carmen’ by Bizet, the iconic bird catchers' duet Papageno and Papagena by Mozart, and "Duncque io son" from Rossini's Barber.

These treasures of the repertoire will be performed by Maria Krasnikova and Benoît Dechelotte in collaboration with Nice organist Stéphane Eliot. Audiences will have the opportunity to hear the electone, an astonishing instrument! This electronic organ can imitate all the timbres of an orchestra—what could be better for the operatic repertoire?

Artists:
Maria Krasnikova, soprano - Benoît Dechelotte, baritone - Stéphane Eliott, electone

Reservations here

After Organ & Opera, other concerts to come

• Tuesday, July 8, 8:30 p.m.
  Organ and voice concert "La voix céleste"
  Fauré, Bach, Mozart, Schubert, and others
• Friday, July 11, 8:30 p.m.
  Baroque music concert "Baroque Europe"
  Corelli, Biber, Bach, and others
• Sunday, July 13, 5:00 p.m.
  Organ and trumpet concert "Sound the trumpet"
  or fusion and rivalry between the trumpet and the organ
  Donizetti, Pachelbell, Mozart, etc.
• Tuesday, July 15, 8:30 p.m.
  "La Nuit d'Espagne" or sunny melodies with John Gade and Maria Krasnikova (De Falla, Granados, Delibes, Albeniz, and others)

The rest of the program will be announced soon!

The exhibition Nice from the shore to the sea will take place from May 8 to September 21, 2025, at the Massena Museum in Nice. It traces the relationship between the people of Nice and the sea, which has been both a source of enrichment and a source of fear. As part of the 2025 Year of the Sea in Nice and the Biennale des Arts et de l'océan.

Exhibition Nice from the shore to the sea

The exhibition Nice, from the shore to the sea evokes the first Greek settlements, founders of Nikaïa, up to the creation of the Promenade des Anglais and the stays of Queen Victoria. The entire history of Nice's relationship with the sea. A relationship of "I love you, me neither."

The exhibition covers seven key themes:

• Nikaïa  the greek
• The migration of religions, the traveling saints
• The feared sea
• The late birth of a port
• The sea and the shore, objects of study
• From the Riviera to the Côte d'Azur
• Concern for the protection of the shore and the sea

Numerous historical, religious, utilitarian, and artistic objects illustrate the theme of Nice and the sea. Visitors can discover a head of a bearded man from the 2nd or 3rd century, contemporary works by Ernest Pignon-Ernest and Yves Klein, Turkish weapons, ex-votos, religious objects, old photographs, fish from the Baie des Anges and the surrounding area, and much more.

What about prehistory?

It should be noted that the territory of Nice was occupied as early as prehistoric times by nomadic hunter-gatherers. Prehistoric humans also had a relationship with the sea. But to learn more about them, you'll need to visit another exhibition, "Prehistoric People at the Beach!" at the Terra Amata Prehistory Museum.

Practical information

Official website 

Exhibition Nice from the shore to the sea
May 8 to September 21, 2025

With her exhibition Les Particules, le conte humain d'une eau qui meurt, Manon Lanjouère takes part in the Biennale des arts et de l'Océan 2025 in Nice. Musée de la photographie, from April 26 to September 7, 2025.

Exhibition Les Particules, le conte humain d’une eau qui meurt

This exhibition blends photography, visual arts and science. Its aim is to make us aware of "a primordial problem that is nonetheless invisible to the naked eye". This is, of course, marine pollution by plastics.
In fact, one wall displays marine micro-organisms existing naturally in seawater (photo 6).
And in the rooms are presented the artistic works of Manon Lanjouère, photos and sculptures. They are made from plastic waste and inspired by real marine micro-organisms (photo montage 1).
As much as we admire the artistic works, as much as we smile at their similarities with micro-organisms, we are left with a bitter taste to know that they are made from plastic waste.
The exhibition calls us out on this artificialization of the sea, which is suffocating and dying, due to our consumption of plastics.

Who is Manon Lanjouère

Manon Lanjouère studied art and photography. She embarked on the scientific schooner Tara, frequented the Roscoff biological station and the Lemar (Laboratoire des sciences de l'Environnement MARin) in Brest.
She thus has an in-depth knowledge of marine pollution by micro-plastics, like this weaving made from fragments of pierced plastic bottles. Each hole is a tiny plastic particle that doesn't disappear but goes on to contaminate the sea and marine life, and therefore, human life.

Practical information

Exhibition Les Particules, le conte humain d'une eau qui meurt
from April 26 to September 7, 2025

Musée Charles Nègre de la photographie
1 Pl. Pierre Gautier, 06300 Nice
Attenant au Marché aux fleurs du cours Saleya, dans le Vieux Nice
10h-18h sauf le lundi
Site officiel

Julie Gautier and Guillaume Néry are present with two videos at the Musée Masséna in Nice. This exhibition Nice, du rivage à la mer is on view until September 21, 2025.

Julie Gautier and Guillaume Néry

In the Exposition Nice, du rivage à la mer, the 2 videos are primarily intended to raise visitors' awareness of plastic pollution and show the damage done to the sea. As we all know, plastic is not only harmful to human health, but also to ecosystems.

Bakelite by Julie Gautier

Julie Gautier

Julie Gautier is a French freediver, dancer and director. She is apnea champion in the constant weight specialty. Since retiring from competition in 2009, she has been making artistic films and also wants to get an ecological message across.

In 2018, on the occasion of International Women's Day, she directed Ama, Woman of the Sea, in Japanese. This video is full of poetry and grace...
In fact, to talk about her film, she used these words:I wanted to put my greatest pain in this world into this film. To keep it from being too raw, I wrapped it in grace. To keep it from being too heavy, I dipped it in water. I dedicate this film to all the women of the world. 
In 2010, Gautier and Néry work with Raphaël on Bar de l'hôtel, a track from the album Pacific 231. She also co-directs Runnin' (Lose It All) by Naughty Boy, for Beyoncé.

One breath around the world Guillaume Néry, Julie Gautier

Guillaume Néry

Guillaume Néry is, meanwhile, a French freediving specialist in constant-weight diving. He has beaten the world record for deep apnea 4 times. He has also won the world championship title twice. Since retiring from competition in 2015, he has devoted himself to promoting freediving and takes part in underwater art films and photography with Julie Gautier.

Practical information

Exhibition Nice, from shore to sea
May 8 to September 21, 2025

Musée Massena, Palais Masséna
65 rue de France, Nice
site Year of the Sea, Nice 2025

Opening hours
November 1 to April 30, 11am to 6pm
May 2 to October 31, 10am to 6pm

Access
Tramway line n°2 - Station: Alsace-Lorraine
Bus lines 8+ or 12+ - Stop : Congrès Promenade (or Gambetta Promenade)

The exhibition Laurent Ballesta - Seas and Mysteries is being held at the Charles Nègre Photography Museum in Nice from April 5 to September 28, 2025.

Laurent Ballesta - Seas and Mysteries Exhibition

The sea is still an unsuspected world. The many existing photos and films are not enough to enable us to discover it in its entirety. The originality of this exhibition, Laurent Ballesta - Seas and Mysteries, lies in the fact that it allows us to discover even more. Laurent Ballesta, diver, is also a scientific artist.

It is with this perspective that he photographs the seabed, allowing us to admire the astonishing architecture of the mason worm or the amazing face of the ocean sunfish. And what about this group of sharks intertwined with each other, ice floes seen from below, trails of bubbles left by penguins, etc. It is a whole (re)discovery of our natural environment that never ceases to amaze us, thanks to the vision of the photographer and the great talent of the artist, Laurent Ballesta.

Planète Méditerranée

Planète Méditerranée takes us on a journey to discover the sea, from Marseille to Monaco, at a depth of over 100 meters.
The film is shown daily at 10:30 a.m., 12:10 p.m., 1:50 p.m. and 3:30 p.m. Duration 96 minutes. Directed in 2019 by Gil Kebaïli, written by Gil Kebaïli, Marianne Cramer and Laurent Ballesta.

Who is Laurent Ballesta?

Laurent Ballesta is a scientist, biologist and naturalist. He is also a diver and photographer. He took the first photograph of the Coelacanth, the unknown "fossil" fish that was thought to be extinct. Laurent Ballesta has taken photographs at great depths, at over 100 meters. He has collaborated on Nicolas Hulot's Ushuaia programs and participated in numerous scientific expeditions around the world. This scientist also has a marvelous view of the underwater world, which he knows so well and never tires of. On the contrary, he allows us to see it through his scientific gaze as well as his artistic approach.

Practical information

Musée Charles Nègre de la photographie
1 Pl. Pierre Gautier, 06300 Nice
Attenant au Marché aux fleurs du cours Saleya, dans le Vieux Nice
10h-18h sauf le lundi
Site officiel