Maison Messiaen - artist residency in Matheysine, France

Introduction

The Maison Messiaen is an artist residency created in the renovated and adapted home of composer Olivier Messiaen in Petichet, in the Matheysine region of Isère. It was here that he spent every summer from 1936 until his death in 1992 and composed most of his work, drawing inspiration from birdsong and the surrounding lakes and mountain landscapes. 

After Olivier Messiaen's death, Yvonne Loriod Messiaen decided to create a foundation, under the aegis of the Fondation de France, responsible for promoting and defending the integrity of Olivier Messiaen's work. This foundation, created in 1995 and administered by fervent specialists of Messiaen, made it possible to create the Maison Messiaen.

The Messiaen Foundation entrusted the EPCC Arts en Isère Dauphiné Alpes (AIDA) and its director Bruno Messina with the artistic and cultural project of the Maison Messiaen. 

A place dedicated to the memory of the composer and his art, the Maison Messiaen in Petichet, in the heart of a sensitive natural area, is now owned by the Communauté de communes de la Matheysine and opened its doors in spring 2016. It hosts artists and researchers – composers, performers, poets, visual artists or ornithologists – in residence, who come to work and create in the same visionary spirit of union between nature and the arts as Olivier Messiaen.

Arts en Isère Dauphiné Alpes is a public cultural cooperation institution. Founded in 2004 and directed since 2009 by Bruno Messina, AIDA promotes creation, music and, more broadly, cultural development in Isère and the Hautes-Alpes by organising major events in these regions, such as the Festival Berlioz and the Festival Messiaen au Pays de la Meije.

Selection criteria

Residents at Maison Messiaen are selected on the basis of an artistic or intellectual project, according to criteria such as the rigour and quality of the approach and the project, the link with Olivier Messiaen (his work, his career, his models and inspirations, etc.), and the link with the region.

How it works

The Maison Messiaen is made available to residents, who work and live there completely independently. Travel and meal expenses are the responsibility of the residents. The duration of residencies can vary from a few days to several weeks, depending on the requirements of the project presented, availability and other constraints. Residencies may involve one or more people (depending on the project). 

The site consists of two small houses, one with one bedroom and the other with three, each equipped with a piano and furnished for living. The accommodation is adjusted according to the number of residents. 

In return, residents agree to present their work and/or their career path during the residency, at a meeting with the inhabitants of the Matheysine region (primary school, music school, nursery, Inter-Age University, etc.).

Documents to be submitted 

Applications should be sent to Bruno Messina, Managing and Artistic Director of EPCC Arts en Isère Dauphiné Alpes, at the following address: direction@aida38.fr.
Applications may be submitted throughout the year.

The application must include:
- a presentation of the project for which the residency is being requested
- a biography
- the desired dates or period/duration of the residency

Information

00 33 (0)4 76 24 92 20 / a.rauber@aida38.fr