If the Saint-Denis Festival continues to seduce the public after so many years, it is because it adapts to its tastes, sparking discoveries with a program combining classics and innovation. Let’s start with what is the backbone of the Festival, the major concerts in the basilica. When you are lucky enough to have a regular pianist of the London Philharmonic Orchestra, Philadelphia Orchestra like Alexandre Tharaud we offer him carte blanche! On Monday June 2, he will perform in the basilica accompanied by the Le Balcon orchestra, conducted as always by Maxime Pascal. Three guests are planned, but who? Suspense…
No festival in the basilica without a sacred music concert. Donizetti wrote his Requiem in homage to his friend and musical rival Bellini. Conductor Speranza Scappucci will give this work all its tenderness and revolt in the face of death by directing the national orchestra of Île-de-France and the choir of the Paris orchestra.
Chiefs = chiefs
This year, the festival has achieved parity in conducting: as many women as men will have the baton in hand. Example with Marta Gardolińska, a young Polish conductor specializing in voices who will lead the soprano Julie Roset, the countertenor Reginald Mobley, the Paris chamber orchestra on the paths of Passion according to Saint John by Bach.
The LEJ trio will play at home, in the Saint-Denis basilica! Lucie, Elisa, Juliette grew up in the same street in Saint-Denis, learned the music together at the city conservatory then within the Maîtrise de radio France. Their voices, saxophone, percussion, guitar, cello know how to revisit hits, pop, electro, rap and make us move! And they will have guests, not to be missed!
The calm of the House of Education of the Legion of Honor has hosted the festival’s recitals for many years. Those of talented young artists like the Russian cellist Anastasia Kobekina whose virtuosity takes us on a journey through time, from Bach to Pēteris Vasks via Boccherini or Hildegard Von Bingen. Piano-voice recitals like that of soprano Sabine Devieilhe, or even a trip South of the Buenos Aires routeguided by cellist Ophélie Gaillard in the footsteps of Astor Piazzolla.
For teenagers, for children too
The festival does not hesitate to put young people on the main stage of the basilica! The middle school students from La Courtille de Saint-Denis, Jean-Jaurès de Saint-Ouen and Gabriel-Péri d’Aubervilliers will sing following the baton of Marc-Olivier Dupin for an original program Alice Swing inspired from Alice in Wonderlanda project supported by the Department. But not need to wait until you’re that old to enjoy the festival! For the second year, the Children’s Festival offers formats and music even for 0-3 year olds! We sit on the floor, very comfortably with dad, mom… and we listen The Lunasiansan opera in 8 songs and 8 pop-ups with arias by Verdi, Gounod, Mozart, Offenbach… Or the singers of the Ensemble Sequenza 9.3 and their program The little voices popular songs, lullabies… 7-10 year olds will be able to discover The Life of Fanny Mendelssohn, told and played by cellist Héloïse Luzzati who works to rediscover forgotten female composers. So don’t hesitate any longer and give or treat yourself to a beautiful gift, a moment of beauty in a Gothic masterpiece!
High-end music, low-cost prices and free
The Saint-Denis Festival has always applied very low prices so that as many people as possible can listen to the biggest names in music. So, to attend The Life of Fanny Mendelssohn as a family (1 parent + 1 child), €20 is enough. Same amount for Anastasia Kobekina’s recital, from 45 to 19€ to listen to LEJ (much less than at L’Olympia where they played 6 times!). And other reductions with the Youth Pass (-28 years old, 3 concerts of your choice for €40), the Ikaria card… Some concerts are even free like Alice Swing (by reservation) or the film concert Métropolis by Fritz Lang with improvisation by Quentin Guérillot, basilica organist.
You can even attend concerts for free, outdoors and comfortably seated in a deckchair! Every year, concerts from the Saint-Denis Festival are broadcast live on a giant screen installed on the Basilica Square. The deckchairs installed on the square, on the terraces of the cafes and restaurants on the square invite the inhabitants of Saint-Denis to attend the open-air concerts with free access.
Finally since 2021, the Saint-Denis Festival solidarity ticket office gives you the opportunity to buy one or more tickets for someone who, for financial reasons, cannot attend a concert. Places are then allocated via local associations that are partners of the Festival.
Information/reservations : Saint-Denis Festival, from May 21 to June 24, 2025
