Already the 32 nd year and hopefully plenty more to come!
The Festival Academy of les Arcs, created by Roger Godino and Yves Petit de Voize, was recognized from the very beginning as a unique musical event in France..

In the steps of great US Academies such as Banff or Marlboro, the idea was to offer brilliant young musicians a site, such as Les Arcs resort, where they could meet, play together, pass on their experiment to the students by means of instrument courses and chamber music to meet the Academic part, and share music with Les Arcs summer visitors through concerts to meet the Festival part of it ; keeping in mind that music should reach as many people as possible and therefore requiring free access to the concerts.
We still keep to this line of conduct nowadays!

You say “cultural exception “?
From the very beginning, Roger Godino and Yves Petit de Voize managed to convince the best musicians to take part in this adventure and they in turn passed the stick on to others. That is how this chain of talents, curiosity and generosity started and has kept on going.

Co-opted by previous directors, Pascal Dumay for a 6 years period then Michel Dalberto and Bernard Yanotta since 1990 have taken over the responsibilities of organizing the Festival, each of them bringing their personality in the teaching approach of the Academy and defining the musical programs. They all have in common, the passion for making us discover new brilliant artists, new works, new styles.

We belong to a large familly, afflicted by the loss of Bernard Yanotta. Yet we are more than ever decided to carry on.

Pierre Maurel
President of the Festival-Academy of Les Arcs

«They came…»