Festival des Collines

ℹ️ Festival currently inactive. The Festival des Collines, Manosque's lyric art festival, held three summer editions from 2015 to 2017 at the Chapelle Toutes Aures. No edition has been publicly documented since 2017, and the event does not appear in the 2026 cultural agenda of Pays de Manosque: it no longer seems to be held.

A Lyrical Setting in the Heights of Manosque

Born in 2015, the Festival des Collines was an intimate lyric art festival held at the Chapelle Toutes Aures, a 17th-century edifice dedicated to Saint-Pancrace, patron saint of Manosque. Perched on the Toutes Aures hill, the chapel offered remarkable acoustics and an exceptional panorama of the Durance valley and the Luberon massif, creating a unique setting for open-air musical evenings.

An Initiative of the Philosophical and Cultural Circle

The festival was born from the initiative of the Philosophical and Cultural Circle of Manosque, chaired by Claude Tardy. After a conference in Sisteron on Freemasonry among great musicians, the idea had germinated among the nine members of the association to create a lyrical event in Manosque. The gamble was audacious: to offer quality lyric art in a city that had no tradition in the matter, and to prove that it was not necessary to go to Aix-en-Provence or Marseille to hear talented artists in the great repertoire. The first edition in 2015 gathered more than 380 spectators.

Excellent Artistic Direction

The artistic direction was provided by Hélène Hébrard, a renowned soprano, who selected works and artists with the constant aim of making lyric art accessible to everyone, amateurs and novices alike. The festival thus offered pocket operas specially adapted for the occasion, such as Puccini's Tosca or Gounod's Faust, where choral scenes were replaced by a narrator.

Three Evenings, Three Worlds

Each edition revolved around three thematic evenings scheduled in June and July, at 8:30 PM. Spectators discovered in turn lyric recitals, chamber operas, and classical music concerts highlighting the great works of the repertoire: Rossini, Vivaldi, Pergolesi, Puccini, Gounod, Handel, or Bizet. Ensembles ranged from vocal trios to quartets, accompanied by piano or instrumental ensemble. The 2016 edition notably featured a Rossini evening, a Gounod evening, and a Vivaldi evening with the Trio Delicioso.

A Place Steeped in History

The Chapelle Toutes Aures, built in 1637, dominates Manosque from the hill known as « de toutes les brises » (toutes aures in Provençal). Accessible via the chemin de San Brancaï, it is a popular walking spot for Manosque residents and continues to occasionally host other cultural events in the city.

The End of an Adventure

After three summer editions (2015, 2016, and 2017), the Festival des Collines no longer appears to be organized. No recent edition is documented, and the event does not appear in the 2026 agenda of Pays de Manosque. The Philosophical and Cultural Circle of Manosque, however, remains active in other cultural activities. Should a new edition be organized, information would be communicated by the Manosque Tourist Office.