The Choeur des Nuits Lyriques becomes
the Choeur Avant-Scène!
The Chœur Avant-Scène, the new identity of the Nuits Lyriques choir, is an artistic and cultural initiative by Marie-Claire Mestres, deeply rooted in local life and open to all residents. The choir now offers two distinct projects, designed to bring musical culture to life throughout the year and strengthen social ties in the area.
The Chœur Avant-Scène has a dual mission: to promote the lyric arts as part of the Summer Festival, and to make choral music accessible to all residents, all year round, as part of an initiative to promote local development and social cohesion.
Touring concerts
Born of the desire to democratize access to choral singing, this new project offers concerts based on the choral repertoire, without staging or costumes.
This light format enables the Avant-Scène Choir to move around easily and to set up in different locations in rural areas, thus reaching out to local residents.
This initiative helps to revitalize local life, promoting the discovery and appreciation of vocal music in areas sometimes far removed from major cultural centers.
By promoting cultural heritage and making music accessible to all, these concerts create moments of sharing and conviviality, strengthening the social fabric.
Participation in Summer Festival opera productions
For 37 years, the choir has accompanied the lyric productions of the Festival des Nuits Lyriques, offering its members the chance to perform alongside renowned professionals in a prestigious setting.
Open to all singing enthusiasts, this activity fosters inclusion and collaboration.
Participants from a variety of backgrounds come together for an artistic and human adventure in which everyone contributes to the magic of the performances.
By strengthening social ties and fostering a strong sense of belonging, this participatory approach makes the Festival a moment of unity and shared pride for the region.
Along with the Orchestre des Symphonistes d’Aquitaine, the Nuits Lyriques Avant-Scène Choir is an essential element in the Festival’s success. Choirmaster Marie-Claire Mestres knows how to unite and motivate her members to adapt to opera productions, as well as to produce concerts and recitals programmed as part of Les Nuits Lyriques.
Marie-Claire MESTRES
Choir Conductor
A graduate of the superior piano class at the Conservatoire National de Région de Toulouse and holder of the CAPES diploma in Musical Education, she taught for 20 years in the music-oriented classes of Marmande’s middle and high schools.
After 17 years as director of the Val de Garonne Choir (winner of the 1989 Florilège Vocal de Tours), she was appointed director of the Maurice Ravel Vocal Ensemble at the Conservatoire Municipal (classical repertoire: Mozart and Duruflé Requiem, Mendelssohn Lauda Sion, Poulenc Stabat Mater, etc.).
Passionate about the vocal arts, since 1991 she has also directed the Chœur des Nuits Lyriques de Marmande, which participates in her productions. Her high musical standards and the quality of her artistic work enable Les Nuits Lyriques to benefit from a first-rate choral ensemble, essential to its artistic project.
"Once upon a time Opera"
CHOEUR AVANT-SCENE
June 24, 2025 at 8:30 p.m.
Eglise Notre-Dame
de Marmande
The Chœur Avant-Scène des Nuits Lyriques invites you to an exceptional concert on June 24, 2025 in the Église Notre-Dame de Marmande, “Il était une fois l’Opéra”.
This musical journey, designed to help you discover or rediscover the most beautiful pages of opera, will guide you through the ages, from Baroque works to bel canto masterpieces, via the Romantics and the great classics. In a magnificent setting, the Avant-Scène Chorus will perform a selection of emblematic extracts from the operatic repertoire, celebrating the richness and evolution of this fascinating art form.
An experience that blends history and emotion in an emblematic Marmande venue.
become a chorister...
Recruitment is by audition.
You don’t need to be able to read music to sing well!
Sign up now!
Contact us: contact@nuits-lyriques.fr