Festival d’Aix-en-Provence Names New Artistic Advisor

Organist, composer, director, and past Festival Director Bernard Foccroulle will step into the role, following the death of Pierre Audi

The Festival d’Aix-en-Provence has announced that in the wake of Pierre Audi's sudden death, it has appointed the Belgian organist, composer, conductor, and director Bernard Foccroulle as its new Artistic Advisor.

Foccroulle's appointment was made by a coalition of festival partners, including the French State, the City of Aix-en-Provence, the Métropole Aix-Marseille-Provence, the Département des Bouches-du-Rhône and the Sud PACA Region, in agreement with Festival President Paul Hermelin.

He is no stranger to the Festival d’Aix-en-Provence, having been its Director between 2007 and 2018.

A noted concert organist, Foccroulle has a discography of more than forty CDs, including the complete organ works of J. S. Bach. He is particularly renowned for his playing of new music, having given the world premiere performances of works by Philippe Boesmans, Brian Ferneyhough, Betsy Jolas, Xavier Darasse, Jonathan Harvey, and Pascal Dusapin, among others.

Between 1992 and 2007, he was director of the Brussels opera house La Monnaie, and also spent ten years as a Professor of Organ at the Conservatoire Royal de Musique in the same city.

The 2025 edition of the Festival d’Aix-en-Provence will run from July 4-21.

"The Festival's major partners, teams and artists are mobilized and working hard to prepare the 2025 edition of the Festival and make it happen in accordance with [Pierre Audi's] wishes, as a tribute to his artistic vision and commitment," the organizers wrote in a statement.