Festival des Rencontres Musicales de Figeac

Les Rencontres Musicales de Figeac: A Classical Music Festival in the Heart of Quercy

Since 1998, the Rencontres Musicales de Figeac has brought together professional musicians, students, and music lovers every summer in the exceptional setting of the medieval city of Figeac and its surroundings. More than just a festival, more than an ordinary music course, the event offers a true musical immersion where training, practice, and performance come together in a friendly and warm atmosphere.

A Passionate Artistic Director

The festival is under the artistic direction of Olivier Pons, a French violinist trained at the Conservatoire de Boulogne-Billancourt and then in Moscow with Miroslav Roussine, a former student of David Oïstrakh. After eight years in Finland, Olivier Pons pursues an international concert career while infusing the Rencontres Musicales with his vision of a festival where each concert is an experience to be lived and shared.

Exceptional Venues for Music

The richness of the festival also lies in the beauty of its concert venues, scattered throughout Grand Figeac. The Abbatiale Saint-Sauveur and the Église Notre-Dame du Puy, in the heart of the city of Champollion, offer remarkable acoustics for chamber music and major choral works. Concerts also take place at the Château de Béduer, the Château de Saint-Dau, the Abbaye de Loc Dieu, the Château de Larroque-Toirac, as well as the churches of the surrounding villages — Faycelles, Bagnac, Cajarc, Fons — creating a true musical journey through the heritage of the Lot.

The Place des Écritures, facing the giant reproduction of the Rosetta Stone, and the Place de la Halle host free open-air concerts, moments of sharing with the widest audience.

Master-classes and Training

In parallel with the concerts, the festival organizes master-classes for violin, viola, cello, and choir, led by high-level professors. These intensive courses allow aspiring musicians to work on their repertoire and perform in dedicated concerts. This educational dimension is what makes the Rencontres Musicales unique and fosters the spirit of meeting between generations of musicians.

A Program Between Tradition and Discovery

The program covers a wide classical repertoire: concertos by Bach, masses by Mozart, sonatas by Brahms, works by Chopin, Scarlatti, Poulenc, and many others. Large ensembles — the festival's orchestra and choir — perform alongside chamber music ensembles and solo recitals. Each edition also offers original moments combining music and poetry, such as the show about Victor Hugo presented in 2025, or explorations of secular sacred chants in the Romanesque churches of Quercy.

The Rencontres Musicales de Figeac embody a certain idea of a festival: one that is human-sized, rooted in a magnificent territory, where classical music is shared with passion and simplicity.