The association Les Z'arts de Garonne • Jazz & Garonne Festival

Founded in 2010, the association Les Z’arts de Garonne, led by Éric Séva, aims to create and develop artistic encounters with the local community and carry out Éric Séva’s creative projects. Like music, a universal language, the association upholds values of connection, conviviality, diversity, freedom, sharing, communication, and respect. It is dedicated to the promotion of jazz and improvised music.

Educational initiatives

The Jazz & Garonne Festival organizes educational initiatives aimed at introducing and promoting jazz to students from kindergarten to high school. It connects them with artists to promote live performances and artistic creation. Each year, students attend educational concerts during the festival and engage in a music production project, with professional musicians coming into their classrooms to prepare them for a performance at the end of the school year, alongside artists invited by Jazz & Garonne.

In past editions, Éric Séva led a jazz awareness project with students from five primary schools. The concert by the Frédéric Monino Trio on May 20, 2016, at the Comœdia in Marmande, provided an opportunity for 109 children to perform on stage, showcasing the results of this project through an arrangement of Armstrong’s song by Claude Nougaro. The arrangement, written and conducted by Éric Séva, was accompanied by Frédéric Monino’s trio.

The Jazz & Garonne Festival in Marmande and the Val de Garonne

Les Z’arts de Garonne contributes to the development of artistic creation by organizing co-productions and artist residencies in the regional and national territory. The association supports all the creation and distribution projects developed by the musician and composer Éric Séva.

The association was founded around the organization of the Jazz & Garonne Festival, which is now an established part of the cultural offerings in the city of Marmande. The goal now is to enable its growth and improve it each year.

Cultural actions and artistic education in the region

The actions developed align with national guidelines on artistic and cultural education. They aim to follow a true pedagogical journey. Awareness-raising activities have been carried out with primary schools by Éric Séva. The Jazz & Garonne Festival also organizes educational initiatives to introduce and promote jazz to students from kindergarten to high school. It connects them with artists to promote live performances and artistic creation. As part of the festival, Les Z’Arts de Garonne offers annual events for younger audiences.