Talent Showcase of Collège Students from South-Tarn

A unique concert showcasing the talent of middle school students from the specialized music classes (CHAM) in South-Tarn will take place in Castres on Friday, April 3. This event is the result of a collaboration between the Tarn Conservatoire and the national education system.

The Conservatoire of Music and Dance in Tarn’s Pays d’Autan region has partnered with the national education system to create three specialized music classes (CHAM), allowing students from South-Tarn access to musical education during school hours.

Lessons are taught jointly by music teachers from the middle schools and the Conservatoire. Concerts, projects, visits, and encounters with artists punctuate this musical journey throughout the four years of middle school.

Students from the CHAM classes at Jean-Jaurès College in Castres (vocal CHAM), Jean-Louis-Étienne College in Mazamet (instrumental CHAM), and La Montagne Noire College in Labruguière (vocal CHAM) will share the stage at the Castres exhibition center on Friday, April 3 at 8:30 PM.

This year, students from La Montagne Noire’s CHAM received visits from two professional artists: beatboxer Louni and slam poet Jérôme Pinel (winner of the 2019 Slam Poetry Cup). Together, they created a poetic and musical repertoire titled “Around the Lake,” featuring poems written by students that were transformed into vocal orchestrations, ranging from recitation to song. They will present this artistic exploration in the presence of these two artists with unique and powerful universes.

Students from Jean-Jaurès and Jean-Louis-Étienne Colleges’ CHAM worked with Natacha Muet, a singer, instrumentalist, and choir conductor of La Rugissante choir. She introduced them to a repertoire of songs centered around the theme of “struggle and resistance” as part of an artistic and cultural education program implemented by the ADDA of Tarn.

The protest song “Ay Carmela,” symbolizing courage and solidarity, will bring together the three CHAM classes to kick off the concert.

Marie Souliet, a professor at the Conservatoire, coordinates the pedagogical team of CHAM for the organization of this significant moment in the musical journey of these young middle school students.

The three CHAM groups (orchestra and choirs) will take turns presenting their respective eclectic programs before coming together for a vocal and instrumental finale.

Free entry – no reservation required

This event is organized with the support of the City of Castres, the Castres-Mazamet agglomeration community, the department of Tarn, affiliated municipalities and intercommunalities, as well as the DRAC.