An entire complex to serve music

Les Mélèzes embodies an ambitious musical project, founded on excellence and creation, nurturing young artists and welcoming all audiences. La Grange au Lac and La Source Vive are true architectural gems nestled in nature, offering musicians an outstanding setting for inspiration and for work, and audiences a wide range of discoveries and experiences. Their uniqueness and the way they complement one another allow for multiple possibilities: concerts and creations, recordings, workshops, conferences and more, resulting in a bountiful programme.

Two complementary venues

La Grange au Lac and La Source Vive form a unique duo, designed to complement one another architecturally as well as functionally. The former is majestic, providing a theatrical and vast stage area, suitable for large ensembles. The latter, intimate and decidedly contemporary, offers adaptability and state-of-the-art facilities, from retractable seating to turnkey recording studio.

Together, the two venues broaden the range of possibilities: chamber music, dance, theatre, hybrid projects and orchestra residencies all find a made-to-measure setting here. Two venues, two characters, but a single vision, that of maximising the ways it can be used, enabling a recording to take place in one whilst a rehearsal or a concert happens in the other, and to offer artists as well as audiences an endless palette of musical and stage experiences.

Les Mélèzes, Salles de Concert à Evian - La Source Vive et la Grange au lac au second plan

50 years of music in Évian

Les Mélèzes takes its place in a musical adventure, which began more than half a century ago, marked by the presence of the greatest names on the international classical music scene. From legendary figures to emerging talents, multiple generations of artists have come to Évian, writing a unique story that showcases the town far beyond its borders.

Les Mélèzes, Salles de Concert à Evian - Ecorce de Melèzes

1976

Creation of the JEUNES MUSICIENS SANS FRONTIÈRES festival at the instigation of Antoine Riboud, the then CEO of BSN (the future Danone group). Led by the conductor Serge Zehnacker, from Alsace, the festival was held at the Casino Theatre, on the shores of Lake Geneva, and notably collaborated with the prestigious Curtis Institute of Music from Philadelphia.
From 1977 to 1998, it was associated with the CONCOURS D’ÉVIAN, the international string quartet competition.

Les Mélèzes, Salles de Concert à Evian - Rostropovich

1985

Antoine Riboud entrusted the artistic direction of the festival to his friend MSTISLAV ROSTROPOVICH, who invited the leading formations and musicians on the international scene to participate, making it into a major event. The RENCONTRES MUSICALES D'ÉVIAN was born and became a must-attend festival.

Les Mélèzes, Salles de Concert à Evian - Construction de la Grange au Lac

1993

20th May: LA GRANGE AU LAC was inaugurated by France’s Culture Minister Jacques Toubon.
Taking a hiatus in 2000, the Rencontres was replaced by the Escales Musicales for more than 10 years.

Les Mélèzes, Salles de Concert à Evian - Concert avec voix et orchestre à la Grange au Lac

2014

At the instigation of Laurent Sacchi, President of the Évian Resort, the RENCONTRES MUSICALES D’ÉVIAN was reborn, led by its new General Manager Alexandre Hemardinquer, with the artistic direction in the hands of the Modigliani Quartet.
Over the years, other festivals were created in autumn, winter and spring: a jazz festival, a piano festival and an operatic festival, in partnership with the Opéra National de Paris.

2021

La Grange au Lac saw several cycles of renovation work from 2017, thanks to the exceptional support of Aline Foriel-Destezet.
The project to build a new concert hall named LA SOURCE VIVE took shape 2021, on the initiative of its founder Aline Foriel-Destezet who henceforth became the founding partner of a new musical institution, Les Mélèzes.
To ensure the complementarity of the two venues, the stage at La Grange au Lac was extended in 2022-2023 to host large symphonic groups; acoustic adjustments were made, and suitable dressing room facilities were built next door.

Les Mélèzes, Salles de Concert à Evian - Renaud Capuçon présentant la programmation

2023

RENAUD CAPUÇON became artistic director of Rencontres Musicales d’Évian, and associate artistic direction for the Mélèzes season.

Les Mélèzes, Salles de Concert à Evian - La Source Vive et Les Mélèzes vue de l'extérieur

2026

LA SOURCE VIVE will be inaugurated on 24th June 2026, with the opening of the Rencontres Musicales d’Évian. From September 2026, it will function in harmony with La Grange au Lac, throughout the year, under the aegis of the new institution LES MÉLÈZES.

Go beyond my role as a patron

Passionate about the arts, and involved for many years with artists, ensembles and institutions who bring culture to life in France and Europe, I wanted to go beyond being a patron and become a real founding partner in a project that is important for music and for future generations.

Aline Foriel-Destezet, Founder of La Source Vive, Cofounder of Les Mélèzes

A special place for artists

Whether they come for a concert or a longer residency, in Évian artists find an incomparable setting and infrastructure. Les Mélèzes offers them an outstanding working environment, with state-of-the-art facilities, both in terms of technology and acoustics. The Évian Resort ecosystem, with its neighbouring hotels, provides high-end accommodation and continuity of location, enabling artists to escape from the outside world to fully dedicate themselves to their art.