VOCALISES - Joséphine's Salon

VOCALISES, season of free vocal concerts in Belfort

VOCALISES is an annual program of lyrical and baroque vocal music concerts organized by the City of Belfort for several years. These free musical events are held on the first Sunday of each month, from March to December (excluding July, August, and September), from 11 a.m. to 12 p.m. in the main hall of Belfort City Hall. The Ensemble Vocal Arcanes provides the artistic direction for this unique season in the cultural landscape of the Territoire de Belfort.

Le Salon de Joséphine: an invitation to the Napoleonic era

Le Salon de Joséphine is one of the flagship performances of the VOCALISES season. Every year in April, the main hall of the City Hall is transformed into the imaginary salon of Empress Joséphine, evoking those musical evenings that brought together the elite of consular and imperial society in Malmaison. The mezzo-soprano Coline Dutilleul, accompanied on the piano by Aline Zylberach, performs a varied program mixing melancholic romances of the First Empire, Italian opera arias, and light or dramatic French pieces. The intimate staging and the natural acoustics of the main hall create a particularly evocative atmosphere of a 19th-century bourgeois salon.

A diverse and accessible annual program

The VOCALISES season is not limited to Le Salon de Joséphine. Throughout the year, it offers concerts with varied themes:

• March: lieder and romantic melodies, with invited tenors, baritones, or sopranos
• April: Le Salon de Joséphine (mezzo-soprano, romances, and opera)
• May: baroque or classical music, duets, and ensembles
• June: sacred or contemporary music, countertenors, and exceptional voices
• October to December: autumn lieder, vocal chamber music, Schubertiade

The Ensemble Vocal Arcanes, artistic heart of Vocalises

Founded in Belfort, the Ensemble Vocal Arcanes is the artistic driving force behind Vocalises. This ensemble brings together high-level singers and musicians with a repertoire ranging from the Renaissance to the 20th century, with a particular focus on baroque and romantic repertoire. Its mission is to democratize classical and vocal music by offering quality concerts in an accessible and free setting, in the heart of Belfort City Hall.