One Saturday every month the CMBV runs a series of interactive fun activities for families and friends at the Hôtel des Menus-Plaisirs. On offer are workshops, stage productions, guided tours, treasure hunts and the chance to meet a researcher, all designed to draw you into the fascinating world of Baroque music!
10 am – 5 pm
NEW! Digital treasure hunt – La saga Papillon à Versailles
Delve into the closely guarded secrets at 22 Avenue de Paris in Versailles. Built under Louis XV it is crammed with over three centuries of history. The trail will uncover a horde of fascinating facts about the splendour of the King’s court, the glory of the French Revolution and the lavish festivities still held there today!
For all ages
Duration: 45 mins
Free admission
10 am & 10.50 am
Baroque nursery rhymes workshop
Featuring
Les Comptines de Lutèce
Anaïs Raimbault, vocalist
Claire Hamon, piano & harpsichord
Les Comptines de Lutèce will transport you into the much-loved world of traditional nursery rhymes. The children will sing and dance to selections of 17th and 18th century music and learn about Baroque music in an effortless fun way!
Age 2-6
Duration: 40 mins
Admission:
- €15 per child + 1 accompanying adult (€10 Pass Destination)
€8 concession (students & those on minimum income*) - €10 per additional child
€5 concession (students & those on minimum income*) - €5 per additional participant
€2 concession (students & those on minimum income*)
*documentary proof required
2 pm
Treasure hunt – Chasing after lost time
Curiouser and curiouser…! What’s happening at N° 22 Avenue de Paris? A mysterious curse has struck the CMBV! It all started during a choir rehearsal late yesterday evening. A bolt of lightning suddenly lit up the rehearsal room and everything seemed to move back in time! Horses’ hooves can be heard on the courtyard cobbles, the white walls in the rooms flake away to reveal 18th century decoration. This morning the staff appear wearing wigs! You will have to use your powers of observation and ingenuity to dispel the curse on the building. Everyone at the CMBV is relying on you!
For adults & children aged 10+
Duration: 1hr 30 mins
Admission:
- €4 per child (€2 Pass Destination)
- €6 per adult (€4 Pass Destination)
3.15 pm
Discover Baroque: dance
The King dances! Learn about dance at the time of the Sun King, its history, its special features, and the pas de bourrée and pas de gavotte dance steps.
Age 6+
Duration: 45 mins
Admission:
- Children free of charge
- €5 per adult (€4 Pass Destination)
4 pm
Guided tour
Guided by members of the CMBV, delve into the history of the Hôtel des Menus-Plaisirs, the iconic nerve centre of the history of France and discover the political, social and artistic role it has played from the 18th century up to the present day.
All ages
Duration: 45 mins
Free admission
5 pm
Meet a researcher
What do researchers do, exactly? What are their missions? What new avenues of research are emerging in the field of Baroque performing arts? Are we currently experiencing a Baroque revival? For an hour you can meet with a CMBV researcher and hear about their line of research.
Musical instruments, reeds and mouthpieces – research into the historic sound of the Baroque oboe and musette
Featuring
Peter Nahon, CNRS research fellow at the CMBV
Lola Soulier, oboist and researcher at Sorbonne University - IReMus, member of the Hautbois project steering committee
To understand the sound produced by double reed instruments in the 17th and 18th century, it is essential to know how the vibrating reed emitting the sound was made. We shall be divulging what the written sources and surviving reeds tell us about it, with the focus on two instruments, the Baroque oboe (Researcher L. Soulier) and the Baroque musette (Researcher P. Nahon). A presentation of the theoretical research findings will be backed by a practical demonstration of the instruments and their mode of playing.
All ages
Duration: 1 hr
Free admission
Group bookings
Group bookings may be made for CMBV Open Days, which can also be tailored for schools or outreach publics. For further details, please email actionculturelle@cmbv.com, or phone +33 (0)1 39 20 78 10.
