The island of Corsica is a music lover’s dream with many events scheduled throughout the year. These include:
Calvi Jazz Festival (15 – 20 June 2010)
An important event within the international jazz calendar, the Calvi Jazz Festival takes place every June and lasts for a week. Hundreds of musicians and singers, including the most prestigious, come to Calvi, which becomes host to formal concerts as well as more informal "boeufs" (jam sessions). Main performances are held on a stage below the Citadel, but the Quai Landry and café culture likewise become immersed in the jazz phenomenon.
On a smaller scale, Pinarellu in the south hosts its own Jazz Festival from the last Sunday in August – first Sunday in September.
Calvi on the Rocks (02 – 05 July 2010)
Calvi on the Rocks in July is a youthful music and arts festival with a mix of electronic music and digital art and Corsican art de vivre. A concert is held each night at the Calvi Citadel, and beach activities are also organised.
Les Nuits de la Guitare (Dates for 2010 tbc, usually in the month of July)
The impressive amphitheatre in the village of Patrimonio is the setting for the Nuits de la Guitare, an original event, which presents a leading and eclectic platform for the guitar. For more than twenty years the "guitar nights" have become the annual meeting place for leading international guitarists in jazz, blues, flamenco, manouche, rock, tzigane, tango and classical music. Last year’s performers included Tracy Chapman.
Porto Latino (Dates for 2010 tbc, usually in the month of August)
Porto Latino is a Latin music fiesta held annually in St Florent. The chic port town comes alive with all forms of South American, Spanish inspired and Afro tradition music, including the tango and flamenco. The streets reverberate with rhythm and St Florent enjoys being even more sought after, as the place to be, and place to be seen.
Rencontres Polyphoniques de Calvi (14 – 18 September 2010)
Polyphonic singing is one of the most popular of Corsican cultural traditions and singers from around the world perform in and around Calvi Citadel during the Rencontres Polyphoniques de Calvi every September. Events take place in the cathedral St Jean-Baptiste, the Saint-Antoine oratory and the Place d’Armes. Similarly, Estivoce evenings are held in and around Pigna, in La Balagne villages, on selected dates throughout the year. Voices from around the world mingle with the voices of Corsica at events also incorporating theatre and dance.
