2019 Gold Master Jury: Corinne and Gilles Bénizio at the helm

The Grand Finale of Masters de Feu 2019 needed a jury worthy of the stakes: to name, for the first time, the winner of the Gold Master. On September 21, 2019, at the Hippodrome of Compiègne, three finalist pyrotechnicians, qualified through previous editions, faced the eyes of the audience and a panel of personalities. At its head: Corinne and Gilles Bénizio, known to generations of spectators as Shirley and Dino. A choice that was as popular as it was demanding, true to the spirit of Masters de Feu: combining grand spectacle, artistic sense, collective emotion and precision of judgment.

Corinne and Gilles Bénizio, a stage duo to preside over the Grand Finale

The 2019 jury presidency went to two artists whose world is built on a rare alchemy: rhythm, listening, improvisation, precision of gesture and a direct connection with the audience. Revealed to the general public as Shirley and Dino, notably in the world of televised cabaret and live performance, Corinne and Gilles Bénizio embody a form of visual and musical humor that is instantly recognizable. Their presence at Masters de Feu thus echoed what pyrotechnics best tells when it reaches its highest level: an art of timing, counterpoint, surprise and rising intensity.

Presiding over a pyrotechnic jury is not simply a matter of appreciating the beauty of an illuminated sky. It means reading a show in its construction, understanding how one sequence prepares the next, how music dialogues with color, how silence can amplify the effect of a bouquet. With their stage experience, Corinne and Gilles Bénizio brought to this final the eye of artists familiar with dramaturgy, tempo and speaking directly to the audience.

A jury of personalities with complementary perspectives

Around the two presidents, Masters de Feu 2019 brought together a particularly diverse jury. This diversity was no side note: it made it possible to assess the fireworks from several angles, from visual performance to musical coherence, from the emotion created to the quality of the pyrotechnic narrative. The jury brought together personalities from entertainment, music, sport, audiovisual media, creation and the life of Compiègne.

Among the jurors were Hervé Niquet, conductor and founder of Le Concert Spirituel, whose musical sensitivity brought valuable insight into the synchronization and narrative power of the soundtracks. Étienne Chouzier, composer and conductor of the Bagad de Vannes, completed this musical dimension with the perspective of both creator and conductor, attentive to the balances, dynamics and breathing spaces of a work.

The jury also included Philippe Candeloro, figure skater and double Olympic medalist, already linked to the history of Masters de Feu. His experience of choreographed performance, risk-taking and live spectacle found an obvious resonance with the art of fireworks, where everything is decided in the moment and precision allows no lapse.

Television, cinema, creation: sensibilities drawn from live performance

Sandra Lou, host and producer, brought to the jury a knowledge of television rhythm, staging and audience reception. Sophie Goupil, producer and director, placed the evaluation within a more cinematic approach: composition, emotion, dramatic progression, and the ability of a sequence to deliver on its visual promise. Jérémie Charvet, singer and actor, represented the stage, the voice, interpretation and that particular attention to the immediate impact of a performance on spectators.

This presence of artists and entertainment professionals was essential in a competition where fireworks are not judged as a simple succession of effects. At Masters de Feu, every tableau must be part of an intention. Colors, heights, openings, finales and variations in rhythm form a true visual score. The jury therefore had to assess not only technical virtuosity, but also each pyrotechnician’s ability to create a lasting emotion.

Compiègne at the heart of the jury and the event

The Grand Finale 2019 took place in Compiègne, and the jury also reflected this local anchoring. Philippe Marini, Mayor of Compiègne, was among the jurors, alongside Antoine Gilibert, President of the Hippodrome of Compiègne. Their presence recalled the central role of the venue and the city in shaping this international event. Masters de Feu are not merely a competition set in a backdrop: they belong to a territory, an event history, a tradition of hospitality and a cultural ambition.

Camille Tumerelle, 2019 May Queen of Compiègne, completed this local representation. Her participation underlined the link between the city’s major popular celebrations and this pyrotechnic evening designed to bring together a wide audience. The presence of Jean-Marc Solbes, an organizer of the Cannes Pyrotechnic Art Festival, finally brought the expertise of a professional accustomed to the demands of major international fireworks competitions.

The audience, an actor in the verdict

At Masters de Feu, evaluation does not stop with the official jury. Members of the audience are also drawn at random to join the judging process, a distinctive feature that strengthens the competition’s popular dimension. Fireworks are an open-air, immediate and shared art: they are watched together, felt in a crowd, and spark spontaneous reactions. Giving the audience a place in the decision-making process helps preserve this direct link between pyrotechnic creation and collective emotion.

The rest of the spectators also play an essential role through the Audience Award. This distinction reminds us that technical virtuosity is not always enough to tip an evening: a show can leave a lasting impression through its breadth, clarity, poetry or finale. By combining jury, randomly selected audience members and spectator voting, Masters de Feu defend a balanced vision of competition, between expertise, artistic sensitivity and popular reception.

A jury to decide among the contenders for the Gold Master

The 2019 final marked the culmination of a first cycle. The winners of previous editions, each having earned a Silver Master, came together in Compiègne to aim for the Gold Master. In this context, the composition of the jury took on particular importance: it was no longer merely a matter of selecting a finalist, but of crowning a winner at the end of several years of competition.

The judging criteria focused on the major qualities of a top-level pyrotechnic show: overall aesthetics, the emotion created, synchronization with music and the diversity of choreographed effects. These criteria reflect the demanding standards of Masters de Feu: to have pyrotechnics recognized as a language in its own right, where every explosion, every color, every silence and every ascent contributes to a complete work.

With Corinne and Gilles Bénizio at the helm, surrounded by a jury with multiple areas of expertise, the 2019 Gold Masters affirmed their ambition: to offer the audience a spectacular final, but also a competition that is clear, demanding and fair. In the sky above Compiègne, emotion had to speak first; it was then up to the jury to turn that emotion into a verdict.