Sons d'Hiver

Sons d'Hiver: Thirty Years of Musical Exploration in the Parisian Suburbs

Sons d'Hiver was born in 1992 from a conviction held by the Department of Val-de-Marne: it is possible to offer, in the heart of the Parisian suburbs and in the middle of winter, a musical program of a rigor and originality comparable to the best summer festivals. This bet, audacious at the time, has been kept. In over thirty years of existence, Sons d'Hiver has established itself as one of the major French and European references in jazz and improvised music.

The festival owes its name to the season in which it voluntarily takes place: winter, a time for withdrawal and introspection, conducive to active listening and musical exploration. This temporal singularity — a festival of creative music in January-February — is an integral part of Sons d'Hiver's identity. It compels the public to go out, to brave the cold, to travel to suburban venues they might not usually frequent.

A Unique Perspective on Creative Music

Sons d'Hiver's programming is distinguished by its ability to capture the most vibrant and innovative currents of contemporary musical creation. The festival is not limited to jazz in the strict sense: it explores all the areas of cross-fertilization between jazz and other aesthetics — free improvisation, electronic music, experimental hip-hop, rock, reinvented traditional music, art music.

Each edition is built around a thematic thread that gives coherence to the entire program. The 34th edition (2025) was placed under the banner of Great Black Music, exploring the diversity and depth of the African-American musical tradition in all its contemporary variations. The 35th edition (2026) explored "creolities" and hybridizations between jazz, electronic music, and Black Atlantic cultures.

Touring the Towns of Val-de-Marne

One of Sons d'Hiver's strengths is its territorial anchoring. The festival is not concentrated in a single venue but takes over fifteen towns in Val-de-Marne: Alfortville, Arcueil, Cachan, Champigny-sur-Marne, Créteil, Fontenay-sous-Bois, Ivry-sur-Seine, Le Perreux-sur-Marne, Maisons-Alfort, Nogent-sur-Marne, Vincennes, Villejuif, Vitry-sur-Seine, and others. Each town hosts one or more concerts in its own cultural facilities, thus creating a vibrant musical map of the territory.

This dispersed geography is also a political choice: to bring great creative music to places where it is less expected, to audiences who are not necessarily accustomed to jazz festivals. Since its creation, Sons d'Hiver has consistently attracted around 25,000 music lovers each year.

World-Class Artists

The list of artists who have graced the stages of Sons d'Hiver reads like a panorama of global musical creation over the past thirty years. The festival has hosted legendary figures such as Ornette Coleman, Archie Shepp, Cecil Taylor, Sun Ra Arkestra, Steve Coleman, Marc Ribot, Henry Threadgill, and many others, alongside emerging artists who will shape the music of tomorrow. Sons d'Hiver is often the first French stage where the public can discover artists who will gain international recognition a few years later.

Workshops, Meetings, and Outreach

Beyond the concerts, Sons d'Hiver offers a program of workshops and artist meetings each year, allowing informed amateurs and local musicians to deepen their understanding of the aesthetics presented. Outreach activities are also conducted with schoolchildren and audiences distant from musical practice, contributing to artistic education in the department.