- Season 23/24
Athéna la combative
MANON LEPAUVRE – ISABELLE PANDAZOPOULOS
Commissioned from composer Manon Lepauvre to a text by Isabelle Pandazopoulos, the melologue Athéna la combative forms the basis of the Orchestre Au Bahut artistic project in Île-de-France and Centre-Val de Loire for the 2023/2024 season.
In 2023-2024, OAB’s partner establishments in the Île-de-France and Centre-Val de Loire regions are all united under the tutelary figure of Athena, with a work commissioned from young composer Manon Lepauvre based on a text by Isabelle Pandazopoulos: Athéna la combative. The perfect opportunity to roll out a veritable “Cultural Olympiad” in this year of the Olympic Games, but also to focus on a strong female figure.
As part of the 2024 Olympic Games to be held in Paris and throughout the metropolitan area, the PMO has chosen to launch its own Cultural Olympiad under the figure of Athena, inviting students to meet their inner artist and let it blossom as they encounter an inspiring and demanding work, its composer and its performers.
A central figure in Greek mythology, Athena, daughter of Zeus and goddess of wisdom, is the bearer of a strong imagination about the place of women. This season’s project will therefore involve raising students’ awareness of the place of women in music and, more generally, in society. Putting women in the spotlight is the commitment made by Claire Gibault and the PMO with La Maestra, a conducting competition reserved for women, co-organized since 2020 with the Philharmonie de Paris. In March 2024, students from Île-de-France and Centre-Val de Loire will be invited to follow the final rounds of the Competition, live at the Philharmonie or streaming on ARTE Concert. During the competition year, we will be offering schools a series of events and activities linked to La Maestra.
Athéna la combative
“A central figure in Greek mythology, Athena, daughter of Zeus and goddess of wisdom, is the bearer of a strong imagination about the place of women. That’s why I chose Isabelle Pandazopoulos’ book for this melologue. Athena’s life is recounted in great detail and with a rich vocabulary. We learn about her role in the various mythological wars, her relationship with the other gods and her great wisdom. Certain excerpts will be used by the narrator, while other elements of the book will be illustrated by music. This relationship between music and text is central to the composition. The chaptering, present in the book but not necessarily following it, will be worked on to create the overall shape of the piece.
Particular attention will be paid to the different temporalities and directionalities between and within the different parts. The choice and shaping of sound textures, thanks to the different instruments and their playing modes, will color and give different sonorities. The sound space will be designed to create a variety of planes.”
Manon Lepauvre
les bahuts
IN ÎLE-DE-FRANCE
Créteil Academy:
• Lycée Jean Vilar, Meaux (77) – 1st year
• Collège Paul Klee, Thiais (94) – 1st year
• Collège Victor Schoelcher, Torcy (77) – 1st year
• École Le Petit Prince, Saint Ouen (93) – 1st year
Versailles Academy:
• Lycée EREA Françoise Dolto, Beaumont-sur-Oise (95) – 3rd year
• Lycée Galilée, Gennevilliers (92) – 3rd year
• Lycée Nikola Tesla, Dourdan (91) – 1st year
• Lycée Jean Monnet, La Queue-les-Yvelines (78) – 1st year
• Lycée Marguerite Yourcenar, Morangis (91) – 1st year
• EREA Jacques Brel, Garches (92) – 2nd year
• Collège Henri Wallon, Garges-lès-Gonnesse (95) – 2nd year
IN CENTRE-VAL DE LOIRE
Orléans-Tours Academy:
• École primaire Nicolas Vanier, Allouis (18) – 2nd year
• École primaire, Preuilly (18) – 2nd year
• École primaire Paul Arnault, Bourges (18) – 2nd year
• Collège Jean Rostand, Saint-Germain-du-Puy (18) – 2nd year
• Collège Jules Verne, Bourges (18) – 2nd year
• Collège Littré, Bourges (18) – 2nd year
• Collège le Colombier, Dun-sur-Auron (en collaboration avec le Lycée Alain Fournier, Bourges) (18) – 2nd year
• Lycée professionnel Jean de Berry « métiers du bâtiment », Bourges (18) – 2nd year
• Lycée professionnel Vauvert « métiers de l’automobile », Bourges (18) – 2nd year
les temps forts
Mid-September 2023
Back-to-school meeting: presentation of the artistic project to the Île-de-France and Centre-Val de Loire teaching teams
End of September 2023
Announcement of candidates selected for the La Maestra 2024 Competition
October – December 2023
Meetings with the conductor and artists in schools in the Île-de-France and Centre-Val de Loire regions
January – April 2024
Start of artistic co-creation workshops in Île-de-France and Centre-Val de Loire
March 14 – 17, 2024
La Maestra Competition at the Philharmonie de Paris (for schools in Île-de-France) and broadcast live on ARTE Concert (for schools in Centre-Val De Loire)
April – June 2024
Grand OAB tour: the orchestra visits schools and plays back the students’ works