Festival of Sacred and World Music of Sylvanès
Sacred and world music in the Cistercian setting of the Sylvanès abbey in Aveyron
About Festival of Sylvanès
A unique festival in a 12th-century Cistercian abbey
Since 1978, the Festival of Sacred and World Music has transformed the Sylvanès abbey into a major hub for musical encounters every summer. Founded by Michel Wolkowitsky, who arrived in Sylvanès in 1975 in the footsteps of Father André Gouzes, a Dominican and composer of liturgical chants, the festival was born from the conviction that music can be a bridge between cultures and world spiritualities. The 12th-century Cistercian abbey church, with its Romanesque vaults and contemporary stained glass windows, offers incomparable acoustics for listening to vocal and instrumental music.
A program between sacred music and world music
Each edition features around twenty concerts highlighting the essential works of the sacred repertoire — medieval polyphony, baroque music, oratorios, requiems — alongside contemporary creations and musical traditions from all continents. Mongolian overtone singing rubs shoulders with gospel and spirituals, gypsy tunes meet gypsy jazz, Argentine tango dialogues with Sufi chants. This bold programming makes the festival a unique place for musical discovery and sharing.
The Sylvanès Abbey, an exceptional heritage site
Classified as a Historic Monument, the Sylvanès Abbey was founded in the 12th century by Cistercian monks in the wild valley of Cabot, in the heart of Rouergue. Restored since 1978 thanks to considerable investment, it has become a Cultural Meeting Center structured around five pillars: heritage, diffusion, vocal training, artistic education, and intercultural dialogue. The concerts take place not only in the abbey church but also outdoors, from Millau to Combret-sur-Rance, reaching the entire Aveyron region.
A humanist spirit of encounter and dialogue
The festival's constant aim is to create a space for dialogue between the popular and sacred musical cultures of the world, in a humanist spirit of sharing, exchange, and understanding. Beyond the concerts, the festival contributes to the cultural and economic influence of this rural area in southern Aveyron, welcoming thousands of music lovers from all over France and abroad each year.
Festival of Sylvanès — edition 2026
The 49th edition of the Sylvanès Festival of Sacred and World Music will be held from July 12 to September 6, 2026, at Sylvanès Abbey (Aveyron). Throughout the summer, the abbey church, with its exceptional acoustics, will host great masterpieces of the sacred repertoire, contemporary creations, and major musical traditions from around the world, in a spirit of dialogue between cultures.
2026 Edition: 49th Sylvanès Festival
The 49th edition of the Festival of Sacred and World Music will take place from July 12 to September 6, 2026, at Sylvanès Abbey, with some decentralized concerts in Millau, Saint-Affrique, Conques, and in the church of Combret. The program combines great works from the Western sacred repertoire (Mozart, Rossini, Purcell, Vivaldi, Bach), original festival creations, and musical traditions from around the world (Corsica and the Balkans, Asia, Mongolia, Georgia, the Middle East, Scandinavia, gospel).
Online ticketing opens in early May 2026. Reservations are also possible by phone (from July 1st, 10 AM-12 PM, at 05 65 98 20 20), by mail, and on-site 1 hour before each performance. Full price, reduced prices for students and job seekers, free for those under 15.
Programme Festival of Sylvanès 2026
July 2026
- July 12, 5 PM — Illuminare (Mozart, Haydn, Chilcott, Hagenberg), Ensemble vocal et instrumental de Montpellier, dir. Franck Fontcouberte
- July 12, 9 PM — A trè voci, traditional songs from Corsica to the Balkans
- July 14, 5 PM — Linha[a], festival creation, Les Mécanos
- July 17, 9 PM — LAS – La voix de la Résistance, festival creation, Sistanagila
- July 19, 5 PM — Petite Messe Solennelle by Rossini, Chœur symphonique de Montpellier, dir. Daniel Bargier
- July 19, 9 PM — Dido and Aeneas (Purcell), Jeune Orchestre Baroque Européen, dir. Sylvain Sartre
- July 26, 5 PM — King Arthur (Purcell), Orchestre de chambre de Toulouse, dir. Bernard Tétu
- July 26, 9 PM — Horizons lointains, Ensemble Myrias
August 2026
- August 1st, 5 PM — Romantic Music (Schubert, Schumann, Brahms, Mendelssohn), choral workshop, dir. Daniel Bargier
- August 2, 5 PM — Mozart's Requiem (unpublished Portuguese manuscript), Les Paladins, dir. Jérôme Correas
- August 2, 9 PM — Les 3 Parfums de l'Asie Millénaire, Guo Gan, Huong Thanh, Fumie Hihara
- August 6, 9 PM (Millau) — Mémoire des Mers, Ensemble Samanûr
- August 7, 9 PM (Saint-Affrique) — Enlaces, Compagnie Guillaume Lopez
- August 8, 9 PM (Conques) — Mémoire des Mers, Ensemble Samanûr
- August 8, 9 PM — Les Orients de Bach, La Kahina et l'Encantaira, dir. Lakhdar Hanou
- August 9, 5 PM — Licht ! around Bach's motets, festival creation, Ensemble Dulci Jubilo, dir. Christopher Gibert
- August 9, 9 PM — Bach – Piazzolla, l'art de la fougue, Quatuor Caliente
- August 14, 5 PM — De Undis ad Stellam, festival creation, Chœur Unda Maris
- August 15, 5 PM — Magnificat and Gloria by Vivaldi, 37e Académie, Orchestre de Chambre de Toulouse, dir. Michel Piquemal
- August 16, 5 PM — Viva la Gracia !, Alkymia, dir. Mariana Delgadillo Espinoza
- August 16, 9 PM — Nordic Folk Music, Quatuor Femti Fem
- August 19, 9 PM (church of Combret) — Italian sacred music (Vivaldi, Pergolesi)
- August 21, 9 PM — 500 years of brass music, Connaught Brass
- August 22, 9 PM (church of Combret) — 500 years of brass music, Connaught Brass
- August 23, 5 PM — AltaiRila, Mongolian and Bulgarian voices, festival creation, Quatuor Balkanes
- August 23, 9 PM — Traditional polyphonies from Georgia, Ensemble Mze Shina
- August 28, 9 PM — Sukoon, Middle Eastern and Latin American music, festival creation
- August 30, 5 PM — Gospel Concert, Chœur Gospelize it Project, dir. Emma Lamadji
September 2026
- September 6, 5 PM — Le Souffle du Berger, pastoral music, La Chapelle Harmonique, dir. Valentin Tournet
Prices Festival of Sylvanès 2026
Practical information — Festival of Sylvanès
Practical Information
Access
By car: Sylvanès Abbey is located 30 km south of Millau and 60 km from Rodez. From the A75, take exit Millau or La Cavalerie, then follow the D992 towards Camarès/Sylvanès. Free parking near the abbey.
By train: Nearest SNCF stations: Millau (30 km) or Saint-Affrique (25 km). Car transfer recommended.
Times
Concerts generally at 5 PM or 9 PM depending on the program. Consult the detailed program on the official website.
Prices
Online ticketing on the festival website. Reduced prices for young people and job seekers.
Contact
Abbaye de Sylvanès
Le Bourg, 12360 Sylvanès
Phone: 05 65 98 20 20
Website: sylvanes.com
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Where does it take place — Festival of Sylvanès
Abbaye de Sylvanès
Le Bourg, 12360 Sylvanès