between Grenoble and Geneva, the crazy bicycle tour of a symphony orchestra

Sixteen musicians, twenty stopover towns and nearly twenty-five concerts. Until April 24, the symphony orchestra “Les Forces Majeures” is on an international bike tour. An artistic, sporting and environmental challenge, across the Alps, from Grenoble to Geneva.

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They baptized him Tune your bikes! : the slightly crazy project of sixteen musicians from the symphony orchestra The Forces Majeures who embarked on a bike tour between Grenoble and Geneva, Switzerland. Two weeks of calf-powered travel, 250 kilometres, twenty stopover towns and nearly twenty-five free concerts, or with free participation, in parks, schoolyards and squares.

There is this direct link with the public, the fact of being outside, of having come by bike, therefore of having united a team extraordinarily quickly and with an impossible fraternity.

Raphael Merlin

Artistic Director of “Forces Majeures”

FTR

A traveling festival that aims to be an artistic, sporting, but also environmental project. From the capital of the Alps to the shores of Lake Geneva, the orchestra, based in Villefavard in Haute-Vienne, wishes to measure the carbon footprint of this tour. “We memorize the journeys we have made, how many vehicles we have used, how many bikes, were they muscle or electric, all train journeys, and we capitalize on all of this to then draw conclusions“, explains Robin Ducancel, the director of the tour Tune your bikes! The objective is to show that it is possible to minimize the environmental impact of cultural events.

After a well-deserved day of rest on Sunday April 19, the orchestra hit the road again and began the second week of its alpine journey. The itinerary as well as the concert venues can be viewed on the orchestra’s website. The event continues until April 24.


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