Jean-Sébastien Bach International Festival

The First Bach Festival in France

The Jean-Sébastien Bach International Festival was born in 1962 in Saint-Donat-sur-l'Herbasse, in Drôme, a few kilometers from Tournon-sur-Rhône in Ardèche. Founded by Doctor Henri Lémonon, Colonel Théophile-Jean Delaye, and Canon André Parrot, the parish priest, the festival's mission was to promote the work of Jean-Sébastien Bach and to bring French and German youth closer together, as Saint-Donat had suffered German reprisals on June 15, 1944.

The Collegiate Church, a Jewel of Baroque Music

The festival is held in the magnificent Collegiate Church Saint-Pierre-et-Saint-Paul of Saint-Donat, a building blending Romanesque and Gothic art. The collegiate church houses an exceptional organ specifically designed to perform J.-S. Bach's compositions, offering remarkable acoustics for the festival's recitals and concerts. Concerts are also held outdoors in the adjacent cloister courtyard, adding a poetic dimension to summer evenings.

Marie-Claire Alain, Godmother of the Festival

After meeting Henri Lémonon, the renowned organist Marie-Claire Alain gave her first concert in 1962 and returned to play at the festival every year. As the festival's godmother, she served as its artistic director for eighteen years, from 1969 to 1986, helping to forge the event's identity and international reputation. Her commitment enabled the Bach Festival to become a global benchmark for the interpretation of Bach's work.

Over Sixty Years of Music

The festival takes place annually around July 28th, the anniversary of the death of the Cantor of Leipzig. The 63rd edition was held from July 26th to August 3rd, 2025, offering a week of concerts, organ recitals, and period instrument performances from the baroque repertoire. The J.-S. Bach International Music Center (C.M.I.) organizes the festival and hosts a year-round musical season including concerts, meetings, and workshops on baroque and classical music.

Heritage, Transmission, and Modernity

The Bach Festival is not limited to baroque music alone. Over the years, the programming has opened up to original artistic crossovers: meetings between baroque dance and hip-hop, flamenco and early music, carte blanches for regional amateur ensembles. This openness demonstrates the festival's commitment to showcasing Bach's modernity and transmitting his work to new audiences, while remaining true to the artistic excellence that defines its reputation.