Baroque en Forez Festival
Traveling festival of baroque music in the Loire
2026
About Baroque en Forez
Baroque en Forez — edition 2026
14th edition of the Festival Baroque en Forez, from September 27 to October 11, 2026, on the theme "Air(s)". Ten municipalities in Loire Forez host 92 artists for ten concerts, twelve cultural events, and three film screenings. On the program: a Mozart day on September 27, the re-inauguration of the restored organ in Verrières-en-Forez, Into the Winds in Périgneux, Les Kapsber'girls in Saint-Jean-Soleymieux, and a closing concert at the Collégiale de Saint-Bonnet-le-Château.
14th edition: "Air(s)", from September 27 to October 11, 2026
The Festival Baroque en Forez returns from September 27 to October 11, 2026, for its 14th edition, on the theme "Air(s)". Ten municipalities in Loire Forez host 92 artists, ten concerts, twelve cultural events, and three film screenings. The 2025 edition brought together nearly 2,000 festival-goers, with 99% capacity.
Mozart, the Verrières organ, the return of the voice
On September 27, an entire day is dedicated to Mozart for the 270th anniversary of his birth: chamber music in the morning in Saint-Just Saint-Rambert with Trio L and Emmanuel François, Requiem in the afternoon at the Collégiale Notre-Dame de Montbrison by the Maîtrise de la Loire and the Unisoni ensemble, on period instruments. On October 2, the restored organ of Verrières-en-Forez is re-inaugurated during a promenade concert with the Arémuz string ensemble and brass from the Massenet conservatory in Saint-Étienne.
Wind instruments take center stage this year, with the Into the Winds ensemble on October 9 in Périgneux. The voice returns with Les Kapsber'girls on October 10 in Saint-Jean-Soleymieux and the duo Dulces Exuviae on October 7 in La Tourette, for the 400th anniversary of John Dowland's death. The closing concert on October 11, at the Collégiale de Saint-Bonnet-le-Château, brings together the Sinfonietta choir and the festival orchestra for works by Delalande, Charpentier, Josquin Desprez, and Poulenc, conducted by Louis-Jean Perreau.
Around the concerts
Before or after each concert, the festival offers an additional activity, free in most cases: tour of the GAEC Le Pré Vert methanization unit, forest walk with the LPO, musical stroll at the Volerie du Forez, tour of the Saint-Just Saint-Rambert glassworks for its 200th anniversary, planetarium session, bistro lecture, baroque yoga, baroque step, and baroque Trivial Pursuit hosted by musicologist Julien Garde.
Before and after the official dates
Three events fall outside the announced calendar: a Baby readers session at the Montbrison media library on September 12, the screening of "Amadeus" at the Cinéma Family in Saint-Just Saint-Rambert on September 25, and the Vignobles en Scène evening in Boisset-Saint-Priest on October 16, with a tasting at the Vin & Pic cellar followed by a concert by L'Opéramobil' at the church.
Highlights Baroque en Forez 2026
- Mozart Day on Sunday, September 27, for the 270th anniversary of his birth: Trio L and Emmanuel François at 11:00 AM in Saint-Just Saint-Rambert, Requiem at 5:00 PM at the Collégiale Notre-Dame de Montbrison (concert sold out)
- Re-inauguration of the restored organ in Verrières-en-Forez, organ and brass promenade concert on Friday, October 2 at 7:00 PM, free
- Into the Winds, "Aux portes des cités", Périgneux church, Friday, October 9 at 8:00 PM
- Les Kapsber'girls, "À court d'Air", Saint-Jean-Soleymieux church, Saturday, October 10 at 8:00 PM
- Closing concert on Sunday, October 11 at 5:00 PM at the Collégiale de Saint-Bonnet-le-Château: Sinfonietta choir and festival orchestra, Delalande, Josquin Desprez, Poulenc and Charpentier
- Medieval jazz with Baptiste Bailly at the Château de Goutelas, Saturday, October 3 at 8:30 PM
- About fifteen free activities: walks with the LPO, Volerie du Forez, tour of the Saint-Just Saint-Rambert glassworks for its 200th anniversary, planetarium, yoga and baroque step
Programme Baroque en Forez 2026
Saturday, September 12, 2026 — Montbrison (pre-festival)
- 10:00 AM — Baby readers, storytelling and music · Montbrison Media Library · 45 min · free, registration required at the Loire Forez media library, limited seating (04 77 96 69 30, [email protected])
Friday, September 25, 2026 — Saint-Just Saint-Rambert (pre-festival)
- 8:00 PM — Screening of Milos Forman's "Amadeus", in original version with subtitles · Cinéma Family · flat rate €5, tickets via Cinéma Family (family-cinema.com), booking recommended
Sunday, September 27, 2026 — Mozart Day, Opening
- 11:00 AM — Grand Discovery Concert: Trio L, with guest Emmanuel François (viola, professor at CNSMD) · La Passerelle, rue du 11 novembre, Saint-Just Saint-Rambert · duets for violin and viola, Mozart's Piano Quartet in G minor, Joseph Haydn's Trio in C major · 1h15 · all ages · €10, tickets via La Passerelle (04 77 55 65 51, saison-lapasserelle.fr)
- 5:00 PM — "Mozart Requiem" · Collégiale Notre-Dame de Montbrison · Grand Mixed Choir of the Maîtrise de la Loire and the Unisoni orchestra, on period instruments · featuring Jan Dismas Zelenka's De profundis ZWV 96 and First Lamentation ZWV 53 in the first half · soloists Roxane Choux, Séverine Maras, Yannick Berne, Jean-Baptiste Dumora · conducted by Florent Mayet and Jean-Baptiste Bertrand · 2h with intermission · concert sold out
Wednesday, September 30, 2026 — Saint-Étienne
- 2:00 PM — Youth screening of Paul Grimault's "The King and the Mockingbird", with a musical performance by the Conservatoire à rayonnement régional Massenet of Saint-Étienne · Cinéma Le Méliès Saint-François · 1h27 · ages 6 and up · tickets at the Méliès cinema
Friday, October 2, 2026 — Verrières-en-Forez
- 3:00 PM — Tour of the GAEC Le Pré Vert methanization unit, 144 chemin de la Paire · wheelchair accessible · free, booking recommended at the Tourist Office
- 6:00 PM — Presentation of the restored organ by the association Les Amis des orgues de Verrières-en-Forez, before the concert · church · free, booking recommended
- 7:00 PM — "Organ and Brass" Promenade Concert · Verrières-en-Forez Church · Arémuz string ensemble and brass from the CRR Massenet Saint-Étienne, modern and period brass, alphorn · re-inauguration of the recently restored organ · free, tickets at the Loire Forez Tourist Office
Saturday, October 3, 2026 — Marcoux, Château de Goutelas
- 4:00 PM — "Les Secrets de mon Arbre", Ensemble Les Æquinoxes · three illustrated tales set to music, two storytellers, cyanotypes displayed in kamishibai style · 30 min · ages 6 and up · free, booking at the Tourist Office
- 5:00 PM — Guided tour of the Château de Goutelas, grounds and castle · 45 min · all ages · free, booking at the Tourist Office
- 7:00 PM — Dinner · €15, €8 for children under 12 · by reservation with the Loire Forez Tourist Office
- 8:30 PM — Grand Discovery Concert "Courtly Love" · Baptiste Bailly (piano, arrangements), Matthew Baker (baritone), Efrén López (hurdy-gurdy, oud, cittern, percussion) · secular medieval music from the 12th to 14th centuries (Machaut, Lescurel, Binchois, Landini) in original arrangements, with improvisation sections · €10
Sunday, October 4, 2026 — Marcilly-le-Châtel, Volerie du Forez
- 2:30 PM to 4:30 PM — Artistic and musical stroll: wandering through the Volerie du Forez, with musical interludes performed by Arémuz students along the way
- All afternoon — "Bulles d'oiseaux" exhibition by author Vincent Brouailler
- 5:00 PM — Concert at the Tower, with surprise guests · string quartet: Mathieu Schmaltz and Louis-Jean Perreau (violins), Aurélie Métivier (viola), Franck Lepinasse (cello) · works by Rameau and Haydn, in resonance with La Fontaine's Fables dedicated to birds
- Stroll and concert: €10, tickets at the Loire Forez Tourist Office
Wednesday, October 7, 2026 — Saint-Just Saint-Rambert then La Tourette
- 9:15 AM — Tour of the Glassworks, 29 allée Saint-Laurent in Saint-Just Saint-Rambert, for the site's 200th anniversary: glass blowing and the work of master glassmakers · appropriate attire required (closed shoes, trousers recommended; open shoes, heels, skirts and shorts prohibited), not wheelchair accessible · ages 12 and up · free, booking at the Tourist Office
- 10:30 AM — "Libellule!", musical surprise to close the tour, in partnership with the CRR Massenet Saint-Étienne
- 3:00 PM — Forest walk "Listening to the Living", led by LPO AURA Loire: bird song, making a nature musical instrument · meet in front of the La Tourette town hall · 2h · ages 8 and up · free, booking recommended · bring walking shoes
- 8:00 PM — Grand Discovery Concert: Dulces Exuviae, "John Dowland, pieces for lute" · La Tourette Village Hall · Bor Zuljan (lute) and Romain Bockler (baritone) · program designed for the 400th anniversary of John Dowland's death, contrasted with Josquin Desprez · €10
Thursday, October 8, 2026 — Usson-en-Forez
- 5:00 PM — "Between Science and Baroque Music": the Roanne planetarium and its immersive structure · Usson-en-Forez Village Hall · 1h · all ages · free, booking recommended
- 6:30 PM — Bistro lecture "Music and Science", hosted by musicologist Julien Garde · Chez l'Hôte bistro, 12 place de l'église · 45 min · all ages · free, booking recommended
- 8:00 PM — Grand Discovery Concert "La Salade d'Oranges / En barque" · Usson-en-Forez Church · musicians from the Conservatoire national supérieur de musique et de danse de Lyon · Vivaldi and the Venetian musical landscape between 1650 and 1730 · €10
Friday, October 9, 2026 — Périgneux
- 6:00 PM — Baroque Trivial Pursuit, hosted by musicologist Julien Garde · Amicale laïque Hall, 15 rue du Puits Saint-Jean, church square · all ages · free, booking recommended
- 8:00 PM — Grand format concert: Into the Winds, "Aux portes des cités" · Périgneux Church · a journey through the great cities of the Renaissance: Paris, Bruges, Florence, Lyon · €20, €10 reduced rate, free for under 18s
Saturday, October 10, 2026 — Saint-Jean-Soleymieux
- 5:30 PM — Baroque Yoga, "Breath and Music", with Lika Laloum, yoga teacher and violist · Thinereilles multi-purpose hall, 58 route de Marols · bring your own mat · ages 10 and up · free, booking recommended
- 7:00 PM — Foreword on the 'air de cour' by Julien Garde · Saint-Jean-Soleymieux town hall lobby
- 8:00 PM — Grand format concert: Les Kapsber'girls, "À court d'Air" · Saint-Jean-Soleymieux Church · creation based on the 'air de cour' of the 16th and 17th centuries, voice, lute and viola da gamba · €20, €10 reduced rate, free for under 18s
Sunday, October 11, 2026 — Saint-Bonnet-le-Château, Closing
- 10:30 AM — Screening of Jean Grémillon's "Le Ciel est à vous", followed by brunch · Cin'étoile Cinema · 1h44 · tickets via Cin'étoile (04 77 50 62 21, cinetoile-42.fr)
- 2:30 PM — Baroque Step, hosted by musicologist Julien Garde and Arémuz students · Cin'étoile · all ages · free, booking recommended
- 5:00 PM — Grand closing concert: Sinfonietta choir (conducted by Yannick Berne) and the festival orchestra (conducted by Louis-Jean Perreau) · Collégiale de Saint-Bonnet-le-Château · De Profundis by Michel-Richard Delalande, songs by Josquin Desprez and Francis Poulenc, Te Deum by Marc-Antoine Charpentier · soloists Eliette Ximenes, Delphine Terrier, Christophe Baska, Raphaël Bougy, Paul-Henry Vila · €20, €10 reduced rate, free for under 18s
Friday, October 16, 2026 — Boisset-Saint-Priest, Vignobles en Scène (post-festival)
- 6:00 PM — Commentated tasting at the Vin & Pic cellar, in the village: Christine and Laurent Demeure introduce their wines, including the Côtes du Forez, with a local appetizer board · €10 per person, limited seating
- 7:30 PM — Concert by L'Opéramobil' with the Poly'R ensemble · Boisset-Saint-Priest Church · six young artists and their piano-trailer, family program focused on discovering instruments and the repertoire · 1h15 · €10, €8 reduced rate, free for under 18s
Reservations and information at the Loire Forez Tourist Office, 1 place Eugène Baune in Montbrison, 04 77 96 08 69, or at baroque-en-forez.com. Carpooling is organized for most concerts via the Covievent platform.
Prices Baroque en Forez 2026
3-concert grand format pass: €45.
Grand Discovery Concert: €10.
Organ and brass promenade concert on October 2: free.
Screening of "Amadeus" on September 25: €5, flat rate. The other two screenings are sold by the cinemas (Méliès Saint-François on September 30, Cin'étoile on October 11).
Dinner on October 3 at Château de Goutelas: €15, €8 for children under 12.
Vignobles en Scène on October 16: tasting €10 per person; L'Opéramobil' concert €10, €8 reduced rate, free for under 18s.
Walks, guided tours, lectures, baroque yoga, baroque step, and baroque Trivial Pursuit: free, booking recommended.
Tickets: Loire Forez Tourist Office, 1 place Eugène Baune, 42600 Montbrison, 04 77 96 08 69, or online at indiv.themisweb.fr. The concert on September 27 at 11:00 AM is sold by La Passerelle (04 77 55 65 51).
Practical information — Baroque en Forez
Practical Information
Getting There
The Festival Baroque en Forez is a travelling event: concerts and activities are spread across around ten municipalities within the Loire Forez Agglomération area in the Loire (42) department, hosted in churches, castles, village halls, and heritage sites.
By car: Montbrison is 40 km from Saint-Étienne via the A72, 100 km from Lyon via the A89 and A72, and 170 km from Clermont-Ferrand via the A89. In 2026, concert venues include Montbrison, Saint-Just Saint-Rambert, Verrières-en-Forez, Marcoux, Marcilly-le-Châtel, La Tourette, Usson-en-Forez, Périgneux, Saint-Jean-Soleymieux, and Saint-Bonnet-le-Château, with two additional events in Saint-Étienne and Boisset-Saint-Priest.
By train: Montbrison station, on the TER Saint-Étienne - Montbrison line.
Carpooling: The festival organises carpooling for its concerts via the Covievent platform; the link can be found on each event page on the official website.
Ticketing
Tickets are available at the Loire Forez Tourist Office, 1 place Eugène Baune in Montbrison (04 77 96 08 69), and online via the tourist office's ticketing site (indiv.themisweb.fr). Some performances are sold directly by the host venues: La Passerelle in Saint-Just Saint-Rambert, the Family cinema, the Le Méliès Saint-François cinema in Saint-Étienne, and the Cin'étoile in Saint-Bonnet-le-Château.
There are three ticket categories: full-scale concerts at €20, with a reduced rate of €10 for job seekers and students, and free admission for those under 18; major discovery concerts at €10; and free promenade concerts. A 3-concert pass for full-scale events is available for €45. Walks, guided tours, lectures, and workshops are free, though booking with the Tourist Office is recommended.
Contact
Loire Forez Agglomération, 17 boulevard de la Préfecture, CS 30211, 42605 Montbrison Cedex, 04 26 54 70 00. For bookings and information, contact the Loire Forez Tourist Office at 04 77 96 08 69. Festival website: baroque-en-forez.com.
A traveling festival in the heart of Forez heritage
Since 2012, the Baroque en Forez Festival has established itself as an unmissable event of the cultural season in the Loire. Organized and financed by Loire Forez Agglomération, this traveling festival takes over about ten municipalities in Forez each autumn to make baroque music resonate in exceptional heritage locations: Romanesque churches, castles, mills, springs, and remarkable natural sites.
A history rooted in the territory
The festival was born in 2012 from the ashes of the Festival des Musiques d'Automne, created in 1992 in Saint-Genest-Lerpt. By taking up the torch, Baroque en Forez chose to refocus on the baroque repertoire (1600-1750) while opening it up to daring crossovers with other eras and disciplines. Under the artistic direction of Florent Mayet and then Louis-Jean Perreau (violinist, conductor, and founding member of Trio L), the festival has continuously grown and affirmed its identity: that of a collective human adventure, built with volunteers and a loyal audience.
A rich and eclectic program
Each edition is structured around an annual theme serving as a common thread. The program combines "large-format" concerts with ensembles of international caliber (Concert de l'Hostel Dieu, Comet Musicke, Ensemble Céladon, The Curious Bards, Canticum Novum, Musica Nova, Les Nouveaux Caractères), more intimate "discovery" concerts, and numerous activities: introductions to baroque dance, baroque yoga, guided heritage walks, film screenings, conferences, and meetings with artists after each concert.
A commitment to transmission
The festival places great importance on amateur practice and transmission. Music conservatory students and students from Arémuz (Arts et Musique en Loire Forez) participate in the programming. Tailor-made proposals are designed for schools and residents of retirement homes, allowing all audiences to discover baroque music. The festival is supported by the Department of the Loire, the Conservatoire à Rayonnement Régional Massenet of Saint-Étienne, the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique et de Danse de Lyon, and the Maîtrise de la Loire.
A committed festival
Beyond music, Baroque en Forez aims to be a committed festival, open to contemporary issues. Eco-mobility is encouraged, and each edition invites the public to explore new perspectives, combining heritage, nature, and human encounters. The festival has become a flagship event of Haut-Forez, contributing to the cultural and tourist influence of the Loire Forez Agglomération territory.
Where does it take place — Baroque en Forez
Baroque en Forez in brief
History of Baroque en Forez
Edition 2025 Sep 2025Other festivals near Montbrison
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