Francofolies, France's Premier Music Festival, Makes U.S. Debut with Tribute to Edith Piaf, 9/19

Since its inception in 1985, in the historic French coastal town of La Rochelle, Francofolies has grown to be one of the country's-and indeed, one of Europe's-most popular and acclaimed music festivals. In addition to drawing audiences of approximately 100,000 to concerts spread over five days in La Rochelle, the festival has expanded internationally to include editions in Belgium and Quebec. September 19 will mark the debut of Francofolies New York, a star-studded concert at the Beacon Theatre that will celebrate the music of Edith Piaf on the 50th anniversary of her passing.

Tickets go sale Friday, July 19 at 10:00am online via Ticketmaster.com and charge-by-phone at 866-858-0008. Tickets will also be available in person at the Beacon Theatre box office beginning Monday, July 22.

Edith Piaf is an apt honoree for Francofolies' first American event, as the singer is one of the few French artists to have become a household name on both sides of the Atlantic. Likewise, Francofolies New York aims to expose American audiences to some of today's foremost French musical luminaries. Gérard Pont, principal of Francofolies producer Morgane, puts it simply, "With Francofolies New York we want to put Francophone music back on the map in the U.S."

Morgane, along with American partners The Agency Group and Metropolitan Entertainment, is curating an extraordinary international lineup of singers to interpret Piaf's songs, backed by an orchestra of French and American players. Confirmed artists include Marianne Faithfull, Madeleine Peyroux, Duffy, Patricia Kaas, Angelique Kidjo, Alex Hepburn, Beth Ditto, Julien Clerc, Olivia Ruiz, Charles Dumont, Camélia Jordana, Jean-Louis Aubert, Zaz, Coeur de Pirate and Nolwenn Leroy. Charles Aznavour will preside over the evening. Other participants will be announced soon.

The concert at the Beacon Theatre, the centerpiece of Francofolies New York, will be filmed for a primetime special on France 2, the major national French TV network.

The festival will also include two private evenings of music, on September 20 and 21 at The Standard, East Village, as part of the hotel's Standard Sounds series.

About Francofolies in La Rochelle, France

Jean-Louis Foulquier established Francofolies, the first festival for contemporary Francophone music, in 1985 in the city of La Rochelle, on France's West coast. Over the course of three decades, Francofolies in La Rochelle has presented 2,800 artists and organized more than 160 days and nights of concerts This summer (July 12-16), Francofolies will hold its 29th annual festival in France which, offering a stunning variety of free and ticketed concerts on eight stages.

Since its creation, the festival has been consistently innovative and beloved, a favorite of both audiences and critics. Francofolies is a destination for music lovers and tourists from around the world: Argentina, Germany, Bulgaria, Spain, Italy, Denmark, Japan and elsewhere. Organizers launched editions in Quebec (Francofolies Montreal) and Belgium (Francofolies de Spa) in 1989 and 1994, respectively. This fall marks Francofolies' American debut. For more information, please visit www.francofolies.fr.

About Morgane

Three friends-Gérard Lacroix, Gérard Pont and Claude Bertrac-launched the Production Company Morgane in 1992. Originally, Morgane devoted its efforts to producing cultural documentaries and live performances. Morgane has rapidly become a leader in audiovisual production and event coordination. Today, the group is made up of 14 subsidiaries that produce a variety of content: magazines, entertainment, documentaries, youth programs, animation, short programs, feature films, video clips and more. Francofolies is the company's long-running production and its most successful endeavor to date. For more information, please visit http://www.morgane-groupe.fr/.