Visit and perform in the breathtaking Basilica Saint-Therese in Lisieux, followed by a safari in one of France’s largest zoos!

Receiving two million visitors each year from all over the world, this is one of the most renowned religious sites in all of Europe, and the second most visited pilgrimage site in France (after Lourdes).  Completed in 1954, the interior is breath-taking with its brightly coloured mosaics and a 95m high dome, with the option to climb the 300 stairs and admire the incredible views!  After a guided tour your group can perform a lunchtime concert in the Crypt, which has slightly lower ceilings and excellent acoustics.  

Following the performance, your coach brings everyone to Cerza, one of the largest zoos in France and home to an extraordinary range of animals including polar bears, white tigers, lions, panthers, rhinos, giraffes and hundreds more.  Your group can make their own way safely around the park following the two pedestrian circuits and the zoo’s very own ‘safari train’!

Potential collaboration

The nearby Conservatoire de Lisieux has youth orchestras, choirs, and wind bands who would be interested in collaborating with visiting groups.  This could mean rehearsing a combined item or two to perform together at the final concert, and perhaps a post-concert social dinner and disco.