In a faraway kingdom, night reigns, because day has disappeared without anyone being able to explain why. Ever since he was a child, Sacha has had only one dream: to find the sun again. Armed only with the violin entrusted to him by his grandfather, the young boy finally sets off. Will he be able to bring back the light in his quest?

The Magic Violin is a musical tale about the power of dreams and music, written and narrated by Élodie Fondacci, the iconic storyteller of Radio Classique. The Sirba Octet and Élodie Fondacci shared the stage at the Olympia in 2011 for performances of The Carnival of the Animals and wished to work together again. The long-awaited reunion between Élodie Fondacci’s dreamlike world and the unique style of the Sirba Octet came to life through the tailor-made creation of The Magic Violin program, designed for family audiences (recommended for ages 6 and up).

For the writing of this tale, Élodie Fondacci drew inspiration from the Sirba Octet’s original work, infused with klezmer and gypsy melodies taken from Eastern European repertoires. In the story of young Sacha’s quest for light, voice and music share the same evocative power. Words are adorned with notes, carrying the audience into extraordinarily whirling poetry.

The world premiere of The Magic Violin program took place in December 2022 during a series of concerts with the Victor Hugo Orchestra, conducted by Jean-François Verdier, who initiated this commission. The book-CD, published by Éditions Auzou in 2024, is now available in bookstores.

The Sirba Octet and Élodie Fondacci are regularly invited to perform family concerts and school shows, and they have appeared in several cities as part of the Ma Région Virtuose festival, as well as at the Apollon Auditorium of the Cité des Congrès in Nantes during La Folle Journée 2024.

They were invited in November 2024 to perform a series of concerts at La Halle aux Grains with the Orchestre National du Capitole de Toulouse, conducted by Jean-François Verdier. They also toured during the 2025 edition of the Ma Région Virtuose festival. The release concert for the book-CD took place in December 2024 at the Cité de la Musique–Philharmonie de Paris. A series of concerts is scheduled with the Orchestre National de Lille during the 2026–2027 season, with more surprises to come!

The Magic Violin program is presented either as a staged octet version with Élodie Fondacci as narrator, or in an expanded version with a symphony orchestra. The Sirba Octet and Élodie Fondacci are preparing to light up new seasons!

(for families aged 6 and over)

Élodie Fondacci:

Élodie Fondacci has been a culture journalist and host on Radio Classique since 2005. In 2009, she created a program for children—and for all those who have kept their childlike spirit—called “Des histoires en musique” (“Stories in Music”).

For four years, she enchanted little listeners every evening with fairy tales that introduced them to some of the most beautiful works in the classical repertoire. These stories, now available as a highly acclaimed podcast on radioclassique.fr, also inspired a collection of book-and-CD editions published by Gautier-Languereau.

Élodie regularly takes to the stage to bring the stories she writes to life through music. Her performances include: *Sleeping Beauty* (2010, Olympia, Festival Radio Classique with the Orchestre Divertimento); The Carnival of the Animals (Olympia, 2011, Festival Radio Classique with the Sirba Octet); Mother Goose (2014–2015, on tour with the Quatuor Anches Hantées); The Frog Princess (2018, Les Invalides, with Shani Diluka and Gabriel Le Magadure); My Story Organ (Mon orgue à Histoires, October 2021, Auditorium–Orchestre National de Lyon with Paul Goussot on organ); The Nutcracker (December 2021, Les Invalides, with Frédéric Lagarde on piano); and The Child Who Heard the Stars (April 2022, Auditorium–Orchestre National de Lyon with ONL musicians).