Jargeau Tour 2024

The Corsham Windband Association was invited to give a series of concerts in and around Corsham's twin town of Jargeau, near Orléans in France, during the February half-term holiday 2024. This was not the first time that the Corsham Windband Association had been to Jargeau of course. The former Corsham School Windband played at the original twinning ceremony in 1981 !

The CWA gave a series of 3 charity Saint Valentine's concerts in aid of a French Association which provides heart surgery for under priviledged children from other countries where surgery is not possible: Mécénat Chirurgie Cardiaque. The concerts were in Châteauneuf-sur-Loire, Jargeau and Orléans.

Find out more about the association Mécénat Chirurgie Cardiaque (in French)

Find out more about the three charity concerts (in French)/ En savoir plus sur la série de 3 concerts caritatifs

Joy and Celebration

The Corsham Windband Association visited Orléans and Jargeau (Corsham’s Twin Town) in the Loire Region of France during the half term break. Two features of the trip were highlighted by our hosts from the Jargeau Twinning Association – the sharing in our joy of music making and the celebration of partnership between the people of Corsham and Jargeau. Whilst in the area the bands raised 1200 Euros for ‘Mécénat Chirurgie Cardiaque Enfants du Monde’ – a charity dedicated to funding surgery for children with heart problems.

Find out more about the association Mécénat Chirurgie Cardiaque

The Corsham Windband Association plays at Saint Etienne's church in the centre of Jargeau.
Wednesday 14 February 2024.

The Corsham Windband Association perform at Saint Martial's church in Châteauneuf-sur-Loire.
Tuesday 13 February 2024.

Enthusiastic audiences

With the Mayors, Deputy Mayors of Jargeau and Châteauneuf sur Loire, members of the Jargeau Twinning Committee and an audience of local families in attendance, the band performed concerts in Jargeau, Chateauneuf and Orléans. Our musical repertoire was described as joyous and infectious, with standing ovations at each event. Forty playing members, supported by parents and friends performed a selection of film music including Les Misérables, Pirates of the Caribbean, West Side Story, ending with the electrifying Pink Floyd Medley. The Youth Concert Band Saxophone Choir debuted with a complex arrangement of ‘Top Cat’.

More information on Châteauneuf-sur-Loire

More information on Jargeau

A great week of music, fund-raising and some free time!

The Association also visited the Châteaux of Chambord and Chamerolles, and took part in guided tours of Orléans (Joan of Arc history and more) on their first day in the region.

Great performances

Large audiences

Gifts for the Mayor of Jargeau

Handing over the money raised

Saxophone Ensemble

Corsham Windband Association at Saint Pierre du Martroi Church in Orléans, February 2024

A group photo at Saint Pierre du Martroi Church, Orléans

Sight-seeing

We also had time to visit two of the local Loire Valley Châteaux and had guided tours of the centre of Orléans.

Château de Chambord

The old Town Hall in Orléans

A group hoho of the Corsham Windband Association outside Chambord Château

A group photo outside Chambord Château

Inside Jargeau church

The perfume organ at Chamerolles Château

Statue of Joan of Arc in Orléans, France

The statue of Joan of Arc, Orléans

Jargeau Town Hall

Orléans Youth Hostel

Schedule

11/02: Travel from Corsham to the Youth Hostel Orléans

12/02: Guided tours of the city of Orléans, with sectional practices and full band practice in the evening at the Youth Hostel.

13/02: Visit of the magnificient Château de Chambord.

14/02: Visit of the Château de Chamerolles in the morning. Visit of Jargeau in the afternoon and then a concert at Jargeau church in the evening with the La Rabollière choir.

15/02: Free time in Orléans in the morning. Practice and concert at Saint Pierre du Martroi church in the evening

16/02: Departure from Youth Hostel in Orléans and arrival back in Corsham in the evening.

Newspaper Articles

A total of five articles were published in the regional newspaper "La République du Centre" about Corsham Windband Association, Jargeau Twinning committee and the money raised during the concerts in favour of the association Mécénat Chirurgie Cardiaque.

Read the article (in French) about our upcoming visit published on 11 February in La République du Centre

Read the translation of the article from 11 february 2024

The Corsham Windband Association will be performing at Saint-Martial church on Tuesday evening in aid of Mécénat de chirurgie cardiaque enfants du monde.
On Tuesday, audiences will have the opportunity to discover a talented and passionate ensemble, the Corsham Windband Association. Their musical tour will continue in the region with a concert in Jargeau the following day, followed by a concert in Orléans on Thursday.

For the record, it was at the end of the summer that Sonia Blandford, the group's founder in 1981 and its conductor, got in touch with the Jargeau Corsham twinning association. She was planning to tour France and the region as part of the twinning programme during the English school holidays. The association's director had already been to Jargeau, where she had played at a carnival parade.

Charity concerts
Enthusiastic about the idea, the team from the twinning association canvassed for other venues to enable the Corsham Windband Association to carry out its project, while also providing logistical support.

The result is three concerts featuring film music, musicals and traditional wind band pieces. All three concerts will be in aid of the Mécénat chirurgie cardiaque - Enfants du monde charity. Admission is free, but everyone is welcome to join in the fund-raising effort. This will be used to finance an operation costing 12,000 euros.

Practical details. Tuesday 13 February at 8pm, at the Saint-Martial church in Châteauneuf-sur-Loire. Wednesday 14 February at 8.30pm in the church of Saint-Étienne in Jargeau (with the participation of La Rabolière). Thursday 15 February at 8pm in the church of Saint-Pierre-du-Martroi in Orléans.

The orchestra

The history. The Corsham Windband Association is a wind band made up of musicians under the age of 18. Founded in 1981 as the Corsham School Windband, it became an association in 1984 under the name Corsham Windband.

Read the article (in French) about our upcoming concert in Châteauneuf sur Loire published on 13 February in La République du Centre

Read the translation of the article from 13 February 2024

Jargeau. The Corsham Windband Association gives a series of concerts (13/02). The Corsham Windband Association is coming to the Loiret region for a series of concerts in conjunction with a charity event, one of which will take place tomorrow in Jargeau.

The English orchestra is well known in the town of Gergola, where it has already had the opportunity to perform as part of the twinning scheme, at the carnival and in church. Sonia Blandford, creator and conductor of the orchestra since 1981, wanted to tour France, so she contacted the twinning office for logistical support.

The orchestra, made up of young people aged between 14 and 18 and a few adults, will be playing music from films, musicals and traditional pieces.

The Jargeau-Corsham twinning association saw an opportunity to give these concerts a charitable dimension, which the orchestra generously accepted. As a result, Mécénat chirurgie cardiaque - Enfants du monde will benefit from these activities. The local authorities, for their part, will contribute by making the premises available.

Admission is left to the generosity of each and every one, in the knowledge that the profits will be used to finance an operation costing 12,000 euros.

Practical details. Concert this evening at 8pm, in the church of Saint-Martial in Châteauneuf-sur-Loire; tomorrow at 8.30pm, in the church of Saint-Étienne in Jargeau (with La Rabolière) and on Thursday at 8pm in the church of Saint-Pierre-du-Martroi in Orléans.

16 Fébruary 2024

Read the article on the newspaper's website (in French)

Read the translation of the article from 16 February 2024

Châteauneuf-sur-Loire. Concert in aid of heart surgery sponsorship. A magical moment! The Corsham Windband Association performed at Saint-Martial church on Tuesday evening as part of its tour of France and the region to mark its twinning with the town of Jargeau. Under the direction of founder and conductor Sonia Blandford, the ensemble of forty-three musicians, most of them young people aged between 10 and 18, treated the audience to an emotional evening, joining forces with the Jargeau-Corsham twinning charity in aid of Mécénat chirurgie cardiaque enfants du monde.

This concert of the heart delighted with a programme combining film music, musicals and a medley of Pink Floyd songs. The money raised will be used to finance an operation costing €12,000.
During the interval, Denis Ducloux, from Mécénat chirurgie cardiaque, recalled that the association was created in 1996 on the initiative of a woman heart surgeon.
The aim was to enable children suffering from heart malformations to come to France and undergo surgery when they could not be treated in their country of origin due to a lack of technical and financial resources. Since its creation, 4,500 children have been operated on in eleven hospitals in France and taken in by host families, of which there are now 350. Funds come from the organisation of shows, concerts and other activities, not forgetting donations from generous donors.

17 Fébruary 2024

Read the article on the newspaper's website (in French)

Read the translation of the article from 17 February 2024

Jargeau. Corsham Windband delights the audience. After Châteauneuf-sur-Loire on Tuesday (see yesterday's edition), the Corsham Windband Association's concert also delighted the audience on Wednesday at the church in Jargeau. On this Valentine's Day evening, the theme was logically love and the heart, with the proceeds going to the Mécénat chirurgie cardiaque charity.

The orchestra took advantage of its tour of the Loirétaine region to stop off in Jargeau, its twin town. During this visit to France, the orchestra's conductor, Sonia Blandford, presented a young group made up of around thirty teenagers aged 8 to 18, surrounded by around ten adults. These up-and-coming talents gave a top-quality performance, based mainly on brass instruments.

The repertoire included film music, the rhythms of which filled the church and our heads: These included Les Misérables, Jesus Christ Superstar and La La Land . A number of saxophones also joined in a dazzling medley.

La Rabolière, who had performed the first half of the concert, joined the orchestra for a joint rendition of Cœur à cœur.

Carole Teisseire-Dujardin, president of the twinning association, expressed her delight that the evening had been given a charitable purpose. Denis Ducloux, head of Mécénat chirurgie cardiaque, thanked the cast and presented his association, which has already saved the lives of 4,500 children. He was delighted with the generosity of the audience, which will help fund a new operation.

22 February 2024

Read the article on the newspaper's website (in French)

Read the tranlsation of the article from 22 February 2024

Jargeau. Corsham Windband's goal achieved. It was time for the Corsham Windband Association to return home, after three days of concerts in the Loiret region, and a highly successful charity event. The combined efforts of the Jargeau-Corsham twinning association and two members of the orchestra, Denis and Peter, based in Strasbourg, resulted in a great success in aid of Mécénat chirurgie cardiaque-Enfants du monde.

Sonia Blandford and her musicians raised €1,120 to fund an operation on a child, representing 10% of the total cost. The money was handed over on Friday to Denis Ducloux, head of sponsorship for the Loirétain region, in the presence of Carole Teisseire-Dujardin, president of the twinning association, and Claudine Begon and Marielle Pierre, deputy town councillors for culture in Jargeau and Châteauneuf.
These two towns graciously supported the events, providing technical support and welcoming the public.
The team of young musicians and their accompanists were delighted to have contributed to this charity project, which Carole Teissseire-Dujardin concluded by saying: "The ticking of a little heart somewhere in the world will be able to beat in unison with ours.
Sonia Blandford's visit to Jargeau was an opportunity for her to renew acquaintances from her very first twinning, in 1981, when she had just started her training at Corsham College.

Where is Jargeau?

Visit the website of the Town of Jargeau (in French)

Jargeau is twinned with Corsham

Jargeau is a small town in the Loire Valley in France just East of Orléans in the "département" of the Loiret and about 130 kilometres south of Paris. It is located directly on the south banks of the Loire. It was twinned with Corsham in 1981.

The Corsham Windband Association was involved in the original twinning and has visited Jargeau several times over the last 42 years !

This article (in French) was published in the "République du Centre" newspaper on 4th April 1982 when two members of the Corsham School Windband (as the CWA was known at that time) presented a hand-made wooden shield to the Mayor of Jargeau M. Landré.

Jumelage-Mairie-Jargeau-article-4-4-1982_page-0001

Newspaper article from La République du Centre in 1981.