Préludia Festival

When music meets heritage

The Préludia Festival was born from the shared passion of a group of music-loving friends, originally from Bourbonnais and Île-de-France, who founded the Préludia association in late 2016 with the ambition of promoting music and artistic disciplines in their connection to heritage. Located in Saint-Pourçain-sur-Sioule, a historic wine-growing town in the heart of the Allier region, the festival takes over heritage sites to resonate with the most beautiful pages of the classical repertoire and beyond.

The Saint-Joseph chapel, a musical setting

The beating heart of the Préludia Festival is the Saint-Joseph chapel in Saint-Pourçain-sur-Sioule, whose remarkable acoustics and intimate atmosphere provide an ideal setting for chamber music. Other heritage sites in the area also host concerts, such as churches and historic residences in the surrounding communes — Neuvy, Chareil-Cintrat, and other villages in the Val de Sioule — allowing the public to discover the architectural richness of the region while enjoying exceptional musical moments.

A program bridging classical and jazz

The Préludia Festival's programming is distinguished by its desire to bridge eras and musical genres. True to the association's mission, the festival blends classical music — from baroque to romantic — with jazz, ethnic music, and contemporary expressions. The concerts feature high-level chamber ensembles, soloists, and vocal and instrumental groups, in a warm and accessible atmosphere.

The Préludia association also strives to share knowledge of works and composers, by offering opportunities for exchange with artists and contextualizing the programs to help the audience better appreciate the performed works. Masterclasses, lectures, and participatory events complement the musical program.

A human-scale festival

The Préludia Festival cultivates the art of proximity. In the Saint-Joseph chapel or in the churches of neighboring villages, the audience is close to the musicians, in a rare intimacy that fosters listening and emotion. This human dimension, combined with the quality of the performers and the beauty of the locations, makes Préludia a precious event for lovers of live music in the Allier region.