Middle school students from Nord-Isère commemorate the roundup of Izieu children in an opera

Two classes with flexible schedules are currently putting the finishing touches on their show entitled “Rien que des enfants”. This opera pays tribute to the 44 Jewish children of Izieu, victims of the Nazis 80 years ago.

On April 6, 1944, 44 children and 7 adults, refugees in the house of Izieu in Ain, were rounded up and then deported on the orders of Klaus Barbie, because they were Jewish. A dramatic page in French history that two middle school classes are preparing to revive through an opera entitled Nothing but children. This artistic project was, for many students, the opportunity to discover a tragic part of the region’s history.

I really like the fact that it honors the memory of Izieu’s children and it’s very beautiful because we also express the joy they felt before being arrested.

Lara, middle school student

in France 3 Alpes

In the corridors of Maurice Bouvier des Abrets, that morning, vocalizations resonated. The CHAM class, a class with flexible music schedules, is in full rehearsal, one of the last before the performances on June 3 and 4. Around thirty students, concentrated behind their desks, attentively follow Isabelle Chourry, their music education teacher. They sing with fervor and enthusiasm.

“It’s exciting but above all it’s stressful because it’s a little scary, explains Clementine, smile on her lips. There are times when we get a little stuck on the music so we have a little stress of ‘am I going to sing well, is this going to go well?’ But afterwards, as soon as we’re on stage, we know very well that it’s going to go well.”

These students didn’t know much about opera. We can guess from their voices and the harmony that emerges from the whole, the hours of work that had to be done. The students signed up for a year. Cyrian recalls his experience with astonishing maturity: “There is a much stronger emotion in opera songs than in the songs of other singers who perform alone.”

Two schools in Nord-Isère, territory far from major cultural structures, are participating in this project carried out in partnership with the Lyon opera: the Marcel Bouvier college in Les Abrets and the Arc en Ciers college in Avenières-Veyrins-Thuellinof the.

Vocal technique, bodily expression, staging, experience requires rigor but above all it is fulfilling for the students. Trteamwork, initiative and risk-taking: everything is done to develop self-confidence.

Lilian doesn’t say anything else, he who signed up for this opera class to overcome his shyness. “I love singing very much, he testifies. It helps with shynessé.” “It allows us to open up to the world, adds Ilene, also a schoolgirl. For later careers or even in everyday life, it allows us to have presence or to know how to speak in front of a large audience.”

Sihem Benyahia, professor of musical education, especially remembers the beauty of the gesture. “It’s extremely beautiful to feel part of an ensemble, a group and to sing in harmony with others,” she concludes.

“Rien que des enfants” will be presented to the public on June 3 and 4 in Saint Chef in Isère.