Sad news from France: The Festival of Ile-de-France was closed down today. This decision ends a musical adventure of forty years.
After the Regional Council of Île-de-France announced to cut the funding of the Festival d’Île de France by 68 % from 2017 on, the festival asked the Region to take back the decision and organized a petition which was signed by 4.920 persons. The politicians didn’t give in, and so, the organizers ended their activities today.
The festivals started in 1976 and was ever since a brilliant actor on the musical scene, with countless concerts, many commissions and subsequent creations. It has explored the diversity of an outstanding regional heritage, organizing concerts at churches and abbeys, factories and former industrial sites, village halls and theatres, castles and manor houses. 20.000 music lovers have been betrayed by irresponsible and incompetent politicians.
