Festival The Royal Organ Road

A heritage to listen to…

for over 20 years!

Baroque music concerts, classical and romantic music concerts, choir and ensemble concerts, themed concerts, improvised concerts on these magnificent instruments: let yourself be surprised by this heritage to listen to!

Following the axis of the “Royal Road” linking Nice to Turin, and passing through the Col de Tende, this itinerant event offers a program featuring musicians and ensembles of international renown.

The festival’s vocation is the “elitism for all” cherished by Jean Vilar, offering top-quality shows and concerts, while ensuring that all events are free of charge to invite as many people as possible.

At the crossroads of music, cinema and heritage, the festival is supported by numerous partners who see it as a wonderful opportunity to showcase the richness of these instruments, these buildings and these territories.

With roots in both France and Italy, the festival brings communities together around this shared heritage.

Oiree Lorgue Fait Son Cinema Dans Leglise De La Brigue Lrro Cliche F. Marcon

Orgue Des Freres Concone Eglise De Breil Sur Roya 1758 1760 Lrro Cliche F. Marcon

On the program!

Also on the program are the “L’orgue fait son cinéma! evenings: screenings of silent film masterpieces, accompanied by improvisations on historic organs. Rediscover the magic of the early days of cinema, which is particularly enchanting for children and families!

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The organ

makes its cinema!

The festive “L’orgue fait son cinéma!” evenings feature masterpieces of silent and burlesque cinema, accompanied by organ improvisations. Films projected onto the big screen delight young and old alike, who come to share laughter and emotion: Buster Keaton, Charlie Chaplin…

The screening is always preceded by a presentation of the work, the artist-musician, the art of improvising on film, and a convivial chat.

Soiree Lorgue Fait Son Cinema Dans Leglise De Sospel Lrro Cliche F. Marcon Rotated

Franck Marcon Artistic Director A Lorgue Des Freres Concone 1758 1760 Dans Leglise De Breil Sur Roya Lrro Cliche F. Marcon

Internationally renowned

of international renown

Since 2021, the festival has been directed by Franck Marcon, organist and harpsichordist from Tende, professor of Baroque music at the Haute École de Musique in Geneva and Neuchâtel, and director of the vocal ensemble Polhymnia, which focuses on contemporary creation.

Thanks to his professional contacts, he invites many internationally renowned musicians to guarantee exceptional quality to these concerts: Paul Goussot, Guy-Baptiste Jacottet, Marine Moletto, Freddy Eichelberger, Frédéric Muňoz, Gabriele Agrimonti… The latter appreciate the exceptional quality of these organs, as much as the opportunity to share them with the large audience they have won over over the years.

The brilliant 20th anniversary edition of the festival, which he orchestrated in 2022, helped to relaunch the festival and open up new perspectives!

Baroque organs

of the Roya Valley

The historic organs of the Roya-Bévéra valleys are a heritage of great patrimonial and artistic value. These instruments bear witness to a population that has been fervent and open to cultural exchange since antiquity, in this culturally homogenous border region.

These organs were all built by the great masters of 18th and 19th century Italian organ building: the Serassi brothers, Lingiardi, Concone, Agati, Valoncini… They are all listed as historic monuments and represent an exceptional listening experience. There are also two 18th-century French baroque organs by the Grinda brothers.

In 2003, the culmination of historical research led to the publication of a book written by Silvano Rodi and René Saorgin, with the help of Xavier Sant, richly illustrated and detailed, presenting the history, composition and particularities of each organ (éditions du Cabri).

From the 1980s onwards, this exhaustive and rigorous scientific knowledge led local authorities to launch an ambitious campaign to restore, conserve, protect and promote the organ heritage of France and Italy.

The festival was born of this dynamic, with the aim of bringing these exceptional instruments to life and making them known to a wide audience.

Organ De Giuseppe Serassi Eglise De Tende 1805 1807 Lrro Cliche F. Marcon

Le Village De Saorge Lrro Cliche F. Marcon

The Royal Route

The Route Royale, or “Real Strada”, was the name given in the 18th century to an itinerary linking the county of Nice to Turin, capital of the States of Savoy since 1568, via the Col de Tende. Originally a simple mule track, also known as the “Salt Road”, this route was developed in 1610 by the Dukes of Savoy, then made carriageable in 1780 and finally accessible in 1830. Under Savoyard rule, the road became a key trade route between the two sides of the Alps.

Orgue Des Freres Lingiardi Eglise De La Brigue 1849 Lrro Cliche F. Marcon

At the heart of a network

of committed cultural players

The festival is committed to building a local and international network of cultural players, in keeping with its ambitions.

It enjoys the support of numerous local partners committed to preserving and promoting this exceptional heritage: the Sud-PACA region, the Alpes Maritimes département, inter-communities and communes, the CARF, as well as the Conservatoire Départemental de Musique, with whom it works to discover new talent and give educational concerts.

Close to the French and Italian territories, he collaborates with the Société de musique ancienne de Nice, the “Amis de l’orgue Valoncini de Contes”, the “Amis de l’orgue Grinda de l’Escarène”, the “Cinéma d’Hier et d’Aujourd’hui” association in Sospel, the Beaulieu cinema and the “Autour de” association, the Maison du Patrimoine et des traditions brigasques which houses the Musée des Orgues Historiques in La Brigue.

But also in Italy, with the towns of Ventimiglia, Airole and Torri, the Vermenagna valley with Robilante, Limone and Roccavione, and the Italian associations of the Route Royale and the Cuneo organ season.