Festival d'Ambronay

The Festival d'Ambronay: over forty years of baroque excellence

Since 1980, the Festival d'Ambronay has established itself as one of the major baroque music events in Europe. Founded by Alain Brunet, who directed it for thirty-four years, this festival was born from a simple yet visionary ambition: to make the Abbaye d'Ambronay a meeting place between heritage and early music, in a rural area of the Ain department.

The first edition featured three concerts with Guy Touvron's brass quintet, the Orchestre de chambre de Toulouse and baritone Udo Reinemann. Since then, the festival has welcomed the greatest names in international baroque music: Philippe Jaroussky, Jordi Savall, William Christie, Leonardo García Alarcón, Rinaldo Alessandrini, Christophe Rousset and many others.

The Abbaye d'Ambronay: a unique heritage setting

The Abbaye d'Ambronay, founded in the 9th century and classified as a historic monument, offers exceptional architectural and acoustic qualities for early music. The Gothic abbey church, cloister and conventual buildings form a remarkable ensemble. The Centre culturel de rencontre d'Ambronay supports young artists year-round through the EEEMERGING+ and Ambronay Jeunes Talents programs.

Commitment to discovery and transmission

Beyond major concerts, the festival champions new talent discovery and musical transmission through artistic residencies, workshops, lectures and guided visits of the abbey.

Programming between tradition and modernity

The program artfully balances great baroque works — Bach, Handel, Vivaldi, Monteverdi, Rameau, Scarlatti — with more adventurous proposals blending early music and contemporary creation. Concerts span three to four weekends with varied formats: grand concerts in the abbey church, intimate recitals in the cloister, family shows and school performances.

The festival welcomes approximately 18,000 spectators annually with around thirty concerts.

A festival rooted in its territory

Located in a rural area between Lyon and Geneva, the festival plays an essential role in the cultural and tourist dynamism of the Bugey and the Ain plain.