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Key figures

Origin and history

The Piano Museum of Limoux, inaugurated in 2002, houses a collection of 100 pianos dating from the 18th century to the present. These instruments, derived from donations from individuals and professionals who are members of the Afarp-Europiano France, were assembled and restored by Jean-Jacques Trinques, a piano maker and tuner in Foix. The Afarp association, founded in 1964, had long been looking for a place to exhibit these pianos, but the large cities sought had not followed suit. It was in the early 2000s that the project ended in Limoux, thanks to the intervention of the son of a Carcassonne accordor, who connected Afarp with Mayor Jean-Paul Dupré. The church of Saint James, a former dependency of a 14th century Dominican convent, was chosen to host this collection.

The museum's collection highlights pianos of renowned factors such as Érard, Pleyel, Gaveau or Steinway, but also rare pieces such as Gabriel Peyel, published in very few copies. The tuner tools, offered by Henri Daraud, complete the exhibition, illustrating both the technical evolution of pianos and their social dimension. Since 2009, a 170-seat auditorium, installed in the church choir and managed by François Khoury, has hosted about ten annual concerts during the summer. Artists such as Edna Stern or François Chaplin s'y produce, and two concerts of the Festival de Radio France and Montpellier Languedoc-Roussillon are held each July.

The museum's initiative is part of Afarp's desire to preserve and enhance the know-how of piano makers and tuners. The collection, unique of its kind, offers a historical and technical panorama of the instrument, while serving as a living cultural place thanks to its musical programming. The Church of Santiago, by its medieval architecture, adds an additional heritage dimension to this project, mixing religious heritage and passion for music.

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