Festival des Chorales de Chaudes-Aigues

The Festival des Chorales: Chaudes-Aigues sings in chorus

Nestled in the Remontalou valley, Chaudes-Aigues is famous for its natural hot springs, including the Par spring, the hottest in Europe at 82°C. It is in this spa town with its preserved charm that the Festival des Chorales is held, a biennial event that makes the vaults of the Gothic church vibrate with the sound of united voices.

A festival driven by the passion for choral singing

The Festival des Chorales is organized by the association "Le Souffle du Par", a local choir founded in Chaudes-Aigues. This association is dedicated to the initiation and practice of choral singing, and regularly organizes concerts and cultural events in the spa town. The festival, created in the early 2000s, celebrated its 20th anniversary during the 2024 edition, demonstrating the vitality of this cultural initiative in a rural area.

Concerts in an exceptional setting

The festival's concerts take place in the Saint-Blaise and Saint-Martin church in Chaudes-Aigues, a Gothic building rebuilt around 1460 after the destructions of the Wars of Religion. The remarkable acoustics of this church make it an ideal setting for choral performances. Several choirs from the region perform throughout the day, offering a varied repertoire ranging from sacred polyphony to popular and traditional songs.

Among the regularly invited choirs are Cantaleyre, Terre de Peyre, and Au Chœur des Flots, each bringing their own musical color and repertoire. The festival has also hosted prestigious ensembles such as the Chœur d'Hommes de Sartène led by Jean-Paul Poletti, with its sacred and secular Corsican polyphonies.

A day of festivities

The Festival des Chorales is not limited to concerts alone. The day is punctuated by moments of conviviality between choristers and the public. A shared meal, informal exchanges, and a warm atmosphere characterize this human-sized event. The day extends into the evening and concludes with a fireworks display that lights up the sky of the spa town.

Chaudes-Aigues, land of culture and well-being

The festival is part of the summer cultural program of Chaudes-Aigues, a renowned spa resort for its beneficial waters. Visitors can take advantage of their visit to the festival to discover the thermes, the Par spring, the Geothermal Energy Museum, and the picturesque streets of this medieval town. The region also offers beautiful opportunities for hiking in the nearby Aubrac and Margeride mountains.

The Festival des Chorales is a fine example of the cultural richness of southern Cantal, where the passion of volunteers keeps music alive in the mountain villages.