In this article we continue telling you about music events and festivals you can visit on the Riviera this summer.
Classical music plays on
Festival of Menton
Once again a prestigious schedule is offered for the Menton Classical Music Festival. From 29 July to 13 August, this 68th edition will be launched by Turkish pianist Fazil Say, other renowned pianists (Nelson Freire, Christian Zacharias, Lars Vogt …), as well as violinists Renaud Capuçon, clarinettist JörgWidmann and baroque singer Marie-Nicole Lemieux. A rich and open programme, at the Saint-Michel square and the Jean-Cocteau museum.
Summer concerts of the Princely Palace in Monaco
Like the formal evening dresses, these concerts are always of a very high standard in the main courtyard of the Monegasque royal palace. From 16 July to 6 August, the Monte-Carlo Philharmonic Orchestra will perform several recitals featuring soloists like the violinist Julian Rachlin, the trumpeter David Guerrier or the soprano Maria Bengtsson.
Cimiez’s cloister nights
For its 60th anniversary, the summer academy of Nice is still promising graceful evenings from 19 July to 12 August at the monastery of Cimiez. With the cellist Marc Coppey, the pianist and director of the Academy Olivier Gardon, or the pianist of the vintage Marie-Josèphe Jude.
The nights of the Suquet in Cannes
Other beautiful shows to be expected at the Nuits du Suquet, from 19 to 23 July, with the Cannes orchestra accompanied by violinist Llian Garnetz and pianist Mikhail Rudy.
Also being offered:
-Beaulieu’s guitar nights
With Panda Events and Directoproductions, the Beaulieu Guitar Nights (27th-29th July) are still a great success. The Israeli folk-rocker Asaf Avidan will open the festival in a beautiful way. Amir, finalist of the third season of The Voice and worthy ambassador of France to Eurovision 2016, will take over. The final word will be for the ever-young Calypso Rose, 75, and that young energy that seduced Manu Chao.
-Paillon in Contes
The free and eclectic evenings bring a new rhythm to the summer in the valley of the Paillon, drawing the crowd at the green theatre in Contes. This very popular festival has not yet unveiled its program, but it is already known that the singer Philippe Lavil and the humorist Richard Cairaschi will be playing in July, and Roland Magdane on August 3rd. To be continued.
Electro and Rock find their rhythms
-Beaches in Cannes
The post-14-July storm hit hard. But the Cannes Electro Beaches events held firm. In twelve years, the festival designed by Panda Events has drawn legions of clubbers to the sand of Cannes and exported its concept around the world. After a 2016 edition necessarily weighed down from the general mood and with a modified team, the festival starts again from 10 to 12 August. On the programme, the jewel of the current electro producers: Fakear, talented wizard of electro-world sounds; Flume, new star of the turntables coming from Australia; And Paul Kalkbrenner, saviour of Berlin’s White Nights. “While waiting for the beaches”, it is the Kungs sensation that will take place on the Terrace Riviera on 15th July.
-Crossover Festival in Nice
No theatre of greenery this time, the Promenade des Anglais remaining specially reserved until 14 July. Yet again this year Crossover has grown. The flagship festival of contemporary music in Nice, by Panda Events, will take place from 8 to 11 June, 109 (ex-Slaughterhouses, from 8 to 10) and then CFactory the 11th. Surprising, discovering, and exploring make up the philosophy of this festival, where the electro-singing duo Paradis precedes the ambassador of French sound Etienne de Crécy, or Gramatik and his science of electro-funk-jazz mash up. The festival plays overtime with “Crossover summer”: five dates off the beaten track of the Coast, spread over the summer between Villefranche, Saint-Jean, Beaulieu, Mouans-Sartoux and Nice.
-Nights in Antibes
Pop, black music, hard rock: the triptych proposed by the Nuits in Antibes from 29th June to 1st July will wake you up. Last to have joined the programming, the highly rated producer Wax Tailor is sure to please, with his musical road-trip across the western US. Other sensations awaited: the rap of Kery James and Gaël Faye, anti-social sounds of Trust and metal heads of Brazilian group Sepultura. Heavy tunes to launch the summer on the sea.
-Pantiero Festival in Cannes
Big rock sounds for this event that shook the city of festivals since 2002. Originally focussed on electronic music, it has hardened with the tone of guitars since its beginnings, and asserts itself as solidly rock under the vision of programmer Stéphane Barbiéri. From 12 to 13 July, Pantiero will honour the rock scene with Team ghost, Rat boy, Toy, Circa waves, The soft moon and Twin peaks.
Classic 5-Star style
-Jazz in Juan
Heavy, as usual. And perhaps even more so than usual. From the 14th to the 23rd of July, the pinewood Gould of Juan-les-Pins will see a succession of stars lined up with great artists. After inaugurating the resurrected Bataclan, Sting will be the pop headliner of this 57th edition (the 20th July), alongside the blues icon Buddy Guy (the 16th July) or the crooner sex bomb Tom Jones (17th July). The legends of the Blue Note Wayne Shorter or Archie Shepp, jazz-soul star Gregory Porter, the trio Ponty-Eastwood-Lagrene, showman Jamie Cullum, soul lady Macy Gray and guitarist Johnny Gallegher are featured in this well-stocked schedule. Enough to compensate the three dates cancelled in 2016 in solidarity with the tragedy of Nice.
-Sporting summer festival in Monaco
Jean-René Palacio’s other major event in the Azure region, too, is a bet for his faithful artists. But the SBM Sporting Summer Festival is innovating this summer by scheduling a dozen dates at Salle Garnier, in addition to the Salle des Etoiles. From June 28 to August 20, Gérard Depardieu sings Barbara, George Benson, Veronique Sanson, Deep Purple, Kool & the gang or LEI meet a large Italian contingent (Zucchero, Andrea Boccelli, Paolo Conte, Eros Ramazzotti …)
-The Nights of the South at Vence
Twenty years and so many talents! The Nights of the South (Nuits du sud) have grown up well. This summer, the offering concocted by Théo Saavedra will take over the square of the Grand-Pin of Vence for eleven dates from 6 to 29 July. This will include the riffs of Pete Doherty, Keziah Jones or Tryo, the Jamaican waves of Alpha Blondy and Inna de Yard, and the pop of Olivia Ruiz or Gérald de Palmas will cross paths Goran Bregovic’s Balkan fever, Blues brothers or the new platinum bomb made In Nice, Møme. Eclectic shows and guaranteed quality.
From well-loved and classic stars to new hits and unusual discoveries, there is something for everyone’s musical tastes to discover at the summer music events and performances of 2017. Read our previous article about upcoming music events on the Riviera to stay updated.
