The Loire Valley is renowned as one of France’s most beautiful areas and is visited by hundreds of thousands of tourists every year. Many of them come to see the historic towns and chateaux, which also help to make the region a perfect destination for school music trips.
Students can build confidence and develop their skills by performing in public, as well as gain a lifelong love of music. It helps if you can arrange some inspirational settings for the concerts and there are lots of them to choose from in the Loire Valley.
Use a specialist to organise your tour and you will have access to a variety of old churches and grand chateaux with performance spaces for choral and instrumental groups. They are the sort of places your students may never have the opportunity to play in again, so it is guaranteed to be a fond memory for them.
Among the locations is the cloister of L’Abbaye Toussaint in Angers. A church has stood on the site since 1040, but the structure you will see today is the result of an extensive renovation project undertaken in the 1980s after the abbey fell into disrepair and the site was bombed during World War II.
Take a tour of the museum on the site to learn more about its history and see a collection of works by the sculptor David d’Angers. That should put your party in the mood to perform in the cloister, surrounded by a beautiful building.
School groups are also welcome to play or sing in the magnificent Cathedrale Sainte Croix d’Orleans. The Gothic building was constructed between 1278 and 1329, but has since undergone a number of extensive renovations.
One of them involved fitting stained glass windows that tell the story of Joan of Arc in the nave. She is closely associated with the cathedral as she is known to have attended mass there during the Siege of Orleans, when she led the French army to a victory over the English.
You will discover a number of the Loire Valley’s grand manor houses are happy to welcome choirs and orchestras, including Chateau de Blois. Once a lavish royal residence, it is now a museum and stages musical performances for visitors throughout the spring and summer.
King Francois I’s extravagant hunting lodge, Chateau de Chambord, is another stunning venue where musicians can play. Whether your party performs in one of the many grand rooms inside the vast Renaissance-style house or in a courtyard, it will be a unique experience for the students.
