Festival de Pâques returns in 2021 bringing together today's greatest artists

Aix en Provence

27 March - 11 April 2021

Highlights include Marion Cotillard in Jeanne d’Arc au bûcher by Alfred Honegger

Festival de Pâques announces a stellar line-up of artists and ensembles for Easter 2021 as Aix-en-Provence once again becomes the international centre for classical music. After the necessary cancellation of the 2020 edition, the festival returns in 2021 with a brand new programme featuring some of today’s greatest artists. These include Riccardo Chailly, Marion Cotillard, Maria João Pires, Bertrand Chamayou, Iván Fischer, Joshua Bell, Alexandre Kantorow, and Les Arts Florissants and William Christie.

The 2021 edition boasts more concerts than ever before, with 16 days of festivities, 35 concerts, one world premiere and 11 concerts in exclusivity, across various venues in Aix en Provence centred around the Grand Théâtre de Provence. A particular highlight is the staged oratorio Jeanne d’Arc au bûcher by Alfred Honegger, starring Marion Cotillard as Joan of Arc.

Born out of the shared artistic passion of Dominique Bluzet (Director, Les Théâtres Aix-Marseille) and Renaud Capuçon as its pioneering artistic director, the Festival de Pâques in just eight years has become a world-class musical event of the highest order in the heart of Provence, culturally enriching this important part of France. The festival has fast become one of the major events on the classical music calendar, with an increased audience attendance year upon year. Audience figures for the last edition in 2019 – which was at 90% capacity – topped the 30,000 mark. It is one of Europe’s most successful cultural events and the largest festival in France wholly supported by private funding.*

Highlights in 2021 include:

Exceptional artists

Riccardo Chailly, Marion Cotillard, Maria João Pires, Bertrand Chamayou, Iván Fischer, Joshua Bell, Alexandre Kantorow

Marion Cotillard in Arthur Honegger’s Jeanne d’Arc au bûcher, conducted by Jérémie Rhorer

World’s greatest conductors and orchestras

Filarmonica della Scala and Riccardo Chailly; Les Siècles and François-Xavier Roth; Les Arts Florissants and William Christie; Budapest Festival Orchestra and Iván Fischer, WDR Sinfonie orchester and Cristian Macelaru.

World premiere from Élise Bertrand, 2021 featured composer

The annual Passion is St. Matthew Passion

Giving back via free concerts; masterclasses; concerts in schools and in the street

Generation Aix a revelatory platform for young artists

In previous years the festival has welcomed artists and ensembles including Vienna Staatsoper, Yo-Yo Ma, Teodor Currentzis, Gustavo Dudamel, Yanick Nezet Seguin, Alisa Weilerstein, Thomas Hampson, London Symphony Orchestra and Khatia Buniatishvili.

The Festival de Pâques prides itself on its identity as a shared festival, as it continues to develop free events so that the festival can be enjoyed by everyone. In 2021 the programme will include free concerts across the region, performing for those who cannot travel to the festival.

For full details and listings please visit

https://www.festivalpaques.com