Festival Cordes & Compagnies

A festival born from a passion for strings

The Festival Cordes & Compagnies was founded in 1996 by Jean-Pierre and Marie Nouhaud, a cellist and double bassist duo based in Creuse. Since its creation, the association has given birth to several musical ensembles: the Duo Double-Cordes (cello-double bass), the Duo Nouhaud-Bleton (cello-guitar), the Ensemble Cordissime (from quartet to sextet with double bass) and the Concerto d'Amour for baroque music.

Two festivals become a unique event

From 2010, the association organized two separate annual festivals: the Schubertiades, dedicated to chamber music for string instruments, and the International Festival of Instruments of Love, dedicated to baroque music. In 2021, for the 10th edition jubilee, the two events merged into a single festival bringing together 17 concerts, 5 ensembles and 4 premieres. The festival continued to grow, and during its 14th edition, the historic quintet became a string sextet.

Concerts in Creuse's heritage sites

The concerts of the Festival Cordes & Compagnies take place in venues chosen for their acoustic quality and heritage value: churches, chapels and historic halls in La Souterraine, Bourganeuf, Guéret, Felletin and other towns in Creuse. The festival thus offers a double discovery, musical and architectural, in an intimate atmosphere typical of small chamber ensembles.