Guitares en Picardie Festival

The guitar in all its forms, in the heart of the Aisne

Founded in 2007 by classical guitarist Frédéric Bernard, a professor at the Laon Conservatory of Music and Dance and director of the Hirson municipal music school, the Guitares en Picardie Festival is now recognized as one of the major guitar events in France and Europe. Supported by the Mondial Guitare association, the festival champions the values of sharing, communication, learning, and tolerance that music embodies.

A traveling and entirely free festival

The main characteristic of Guitares en Picardie is its traveling format: each edition features about twenty free concerts spread across more than twenty towns in the Aisne department, sometimes with regional and inter-regional extensions to cities like Senlis, Compiègne, Carquefou, Saint-Herblain, or Fontenay-sous-Bois. The concerts are held in churches, town halls, chapels, and heritage sites, providing an exceptional acoustic setting for the guitar. The festival's complete freeness is made possible by the musicians, public partners (Conseil départemental de l'Aisne, Conseil régional des Hauts-de-France), municipalities, inter-municipal communities, parent-teacher associations, private partners, and volunteers.

All guitar styles represented

From classical and baroque music to gypsy jazz, from flamenco to Brazilian and Portuguese music, including folk, tango, and world music, Guitares en Picardie offers a complete panorama of the guitar's richness and diversity. Over the years, the festival has hosted leading artists such as Roland Dyens, Roberto Aussel, Gaëlle Solal, Arnaud Dumond, Valérie Duchâteau, Gérard Abiton, Alexandre Bernoud, Laurent Blanquart, Erik Franceries, and Olivier Pelmoine.

The Aisne Guitar Ensemble: the next generation in concert

The festival is also a highlight for the guitar students of the department, gathered within the Ensemble de guitares de l'Aisne, directed by Frédéric Bernard. This departmental ensemble performs in several concerts at each edition, alongside professional artists, offering young musicians a unique stage experience and contributing to the transmission of guitar playing in the region.

Reach beyond the department

Since its creation, the festival has presented over three hundred concerts throughout the Aisne and neighboring regions. Thanks to the quality of its programming and the commitment of its partners, Guitares en Picardie has established itself as a major cultural player in the department, attracting a loyal audience of guitar enthusiasts, curious music lovers, and families each year, in a friendly and accessible atmosphere for everyone.