the craze of amateur singing now passes through prestigious venues

The cold and gray of this early November morning were not enough to dampen their motivation. Dozens of them flock from all over Île-de-France to Dock B, in Pantin (Seine-Saint-Denis), a hybrid place, half-cafe, half-concert hall, where they will rehearse all morning. They are the singers participating in the tour 15,000 Voices for the most beautiful French songs. The project brings together amateur singers throughout France with the aim of performing in the Zéniths of France. The Ile-de-France residents will take the stage on March 14, 2025, at the Dôme de Paris, a large performance hall in the capital.

While waiting for this meeting, we must work. Throughout France, rehearsals are held once a month. In Paris or the nearby suburbs, they take place under the caring leadership of Claire de Belloy, dynamic choir director and former candidate for The Voice . “Sopranos, altos, tenors, basses… arrange yourself by range! » she ordered that morning, her eye on the watch. We must not waste time: twenty-two songs are on the program for this rehearsal. The repertoire, a tribute to French song, extends from Jean-Jacques Goldman to Jacques Brel via Édith Piaf and Johnny Hallyday. “I am not a hero…” The well-known notes of Daniel Balavoine’s song rise in the room, which is full to capacity: the singers warm up their voices.

Vibrate collectively

In the audience, the profiles are varied and all generations represented. Valérie, a 55-year-old lawyer, discovered the project during its previous edition, dedicated to the English group Queen. She was tempted “by the human adventure”. Jean, a 21-year-old student, came with his mother and sister to share some family time and “explore a repertoire that does not necessarily interest people of (his) age”. Gilles, a retired mathematics professor, praises the merits of this collective where “no one knows each other, but where everyone gives the best of themselves to vibrate in unison”.

Everyone, like Nathalie, 59, has their sights set on the final show at the Dôme de Paris. “The reward for weeks of effort!” We will have a little trouble getting back down,” she already warns.

It seems a long time ago when these choristers remained confined to local village halls. In recent years, large groups of amateur singers have taken over concert halls usually reserved for professionals. And the formula works, bringing together thousands of performers and spectators who come to applaud them for each show.

In Paris, the Chœur de Pierre ensemble, specializing in large tribute concerts to musical comedies, has performed, since its creation in 2018, at the Mogador theater, the Palais des Congrès or the Cirque d’hiver. This summer, the Cantate project brought together singers from Seine-Saint-Denis at the Philharmonie de Paris to sing songs acclaimed by the inhabitants of the department.

In Provence, Chœur du Sud and its more than 3,000 choristers fill Zéniths. Spectacul’Art, one of the oldest of these very large choirs, born in Avignon (Vaucluse) in 2005, will even celebrate its 20th anniversary at the Accor Arena in Paris-Bercy, on July 1st. In front of a room that can accommodate 20,000 spectators, 4,000 amateur singers will sing the hits of Claude François, accompanied by professional musicians and dancers. Vincent Fuchs, the founder, first sees this as a sign of the vitality of amateur singing in France – 3.5 million practitioners in 2020, according to À Cœur Joie.

“We have witnessed, over the past twenty years, a modernization of the image of the choir, thanks to films like The choristers Or The Aries family to television shows like The Voice and at our shows,” rejoices the musician and choir director. The arrangements have also been modernized, as has the repertoire, which gives greater importance to pop and the new French scene. “I happened to do harmonizations of songs by Mika or Stromae,” continues Vincent Fuchs. There is a source of renewal of participants there. »

The other attraction of these super choirs is the invitation of prestigious soloists. In July 2023, the 24th edition of “Fous chantants” in Alès (Gard) paid tribute to Jean-Louis Aubert. In the Tempéras arenas, nearly 1,000 amateur singers crowded around him. The ex-singer of the group Telephone remembers this timeless moment. “It was so beautiful that I had the impression that someone was paying me a posthumous tribute,” he confides, still moved. There was such vocal quality and light in this choir. It was magical. We found ourselves around the song like around a wood fire. »

French ritornello

This fervor, the success of the Grand Choral, a pioneering initiative which has closed the Nuits de Champagne since 1993, by inviting a thousand people to come and sing around great figures of variety (Alain Souchon, Michel Jonasz, Francis Cabrel, Louis Chedid, Bernard Lavilliers…), testifies to this: French song is still popular with amateur choristers. “It’s an inexhaustible repertoire, in which we all have memories,” underlines Virginie, Parisian participant in the 15,000 Voices for the most beautiful French songs.

“Somehow, these songs connect us,” adds Jean-Michel, flame in his eyes, before joining the group which begins with enthusiasm Light the fire! by Johnny Hallyday. “Popular French song is a collective self-portrait,” insists journalist Bertrand Dicale, co-curator of the exhibition “It’s a song that resembles us” presented recently at the Cité internationale de la langue française in Villers-Cotterêts (Aisne ) (1). “When we have joy or sorrow linked to an individual or collective event, we sing, and it unites us. A little refrain, a variety or a football anthem creates common references and complicity,” he continues.

In Pantin, the rehearsal is coming to an end. After working at the desks, the choristers are preparing to meet for a preview of what will await them during the final concert. “It’s my favorite moment,” confides Colette, a retired civil servant. When we are together like this, I let myself be carried away by the voices and I forget everything. »