Philippe Candeloro, Noémie Vialard and Cannes on the jury of Masters de Feu 2016

Masters de Feu in Compiègne have lifted the veil on the makeup of their jury during a press conference held on Monday, June 13, 2016. For this first edition, the international pyrotechnic art competition chose to bring together personalities from complementary worlds: elite sport, journalism, nature, local culture, and expertise from the major fireworks festivals. A clear way to establish, from the outset, an event that is at once popular, demanding, and deeply focused on creation.

A jury designed to bring perspectives together

In a pyrotechnic competition, a jury does not simply decide between final bouquets or choose the most spectacular firework display. It observes a work in motion, written in the sky, synchronized to a soundtrack, and conceived as a story. Colors, rhythm, precision of firing, use of space, musical coherence, originality of the tableaux, management of silence, and emotional intensity all come into play. For Masters de Feu 2016, the announced lineup reflects this desire to assess the shows through multiple sensitivities rather than a single technical lens.

The jury thus brings together representatives of Compiègne and its area with respected external guests. Philippe Marini, Mayor of Compiègne, Evelyse Guyot, Deputy Mayor for Culture, Coralie Lefebvre, Reine du Muguet 2016, as well as Antoine Gilibert, a local figure associated with the urban area and the Compiègne racing world, embody the event’s roots in the city. Alongside them, Philippe Candeloro, Noémie Vialard, and Jean-Marc Solbes bring a more artistic, media, and pyrotechnic reading of the competition.

Philippe Candeloro, a jury president with a feel for spectacle

The presence of Philippe Candeloro immediately gives this first edition a strong face. A double Olympic medalist in figure skating, a popular personality and a familiar presence on major stages, he has a natural affinity with choreography, intensity, and precision. The parallel with pyrotechnics is obvious: in both disciplines, everything happens live, before the audience’s eyes, with an absolute demand for synchronization and an emotional dimension that cannot be measured by technique alone.

Passionate about fireworks, Philippe Candeloro is more than a well-known name called upon to symbolically preside over an evening. His background gives him a particular sensitivity to the construction of a performance, to the art of rhythm, and to the way a show can surprise, hold the audience in suspense, and then win its full approval. On the ice as in the sky, the gesture must be clear, controlled, and capable of provoking an immediate reaction. This closeness between sporting performance and pyrotechnic spectacle reinforces the legitimacy of his взгляд.

Noémie Vialard, nature as a subtle thread

Another announced member of the jury, Noémie Vialard brings a different perspective, shaped by her work as an author and journalist specializing in gardens, nature, and the art of living in contact with the plant world. Her presence carries particular significance in an edition whose imposed theme is “Draw me nature.” The theme invites the pyrotechnicians to translate landscapes, seasons, organic matter, blooms, and breaths into the sky. The goal is not simply to produce beautiful colors: it is to suggest an atmosphere, a progression, an imagination.

In this context, Noémie Vialard’s eye can help appreciate the delicacy of a tableau, the accuracy of an evocation, or the coherence between the theme and the chosen effects. Pyrotechnics, often associated with power and noise, can also become subtle: showers of gold, slow comets, suspended bouquets, sparkles, waves of light, or more aerial compositions can create an emotion close to contemplation. It is precisely this kind of nuance that a diverse jury can bring to light.

Jean-Marc Solbes and the experience of major pyrotechnic events

The participation of Jean-Marc Solbes, linked to the organization of the Cannes International Fireworks Festival, places Masters de Feu within a prestigious lineage. Cannes is one of the reference events for professionals in the field, with a tradition of competition, creation, and artistic standards recognized far beyond the French Riviera. In Compiègne, his presence brings valuable experience in reading performances, pyromusical staging, and the expectations specific to international competitions.

For a first edition, this symbolic support matters. Masters de Feu does not present itself as a simple event firework display, but as a competition in which teams of fireworks artists defend a country, a style, and a signature. The ambition is to reconnect with the great culture of pyrotechnic competitions while setting it in the unique surroundings of the Compiègne racecourse, a vast open space well suited to the staging of large luminous volumes.

Compiègne, the setting for an international competition

The choice of Compiègne is no accident. An imperial city marked by its heritage, natural spaces, and major popular events, it offers a setting ideally suited to an event designed to bring together a broad audience. Masters de Feu places pyrotechnics in the format of a full evening, with competitors, an imposed theme, a jury, and special anticipation around the final ranking. This structure turns the spectator into a witness to an artistic face-off: they do not simply come to see fireworks, they attend a competition.

The presence of local personalities on the jury also confirms the event’s connection to the area. Philippe Marini and Evelyse Guyot represent the city’s commitment to the birth of the event. Coralie Lefebvre, Reine du Muguet 2016, recalls Compiègne’s attachment to its festive traditions. By bringing these figures together with external guests, Masters de Feu creates a balance between rootedness and reach: an international competition, but one carried by a city and by its audience.

A first edition marked by high standards

With this jury, Masters de Feu 2016 sets the tone. The competition aims to celebrate spectacle without giving up analysis, emotion without forgetting mastery, popular festivity without losing sight of professional excellence. The diversity of the announced profiles reflects the very nature of a competitive fireworks display: a total art form, where technique serves drama and where each effect must find its place in a broader score.

This first jury lineup therefore marks a founding step for the event. It places the fireworks artists before judges capable of assessing the energy, poetry, rigor, and inventiveness of their creations. In Compiègne, the Silver Master 2016 thus promises to be more than a competition: a meeting between fire artists, a host city, and personalities tasked with turning wonder into judgment.