Jean-Sébastien Bach International Festival
Baroque and Classical Music Festival at the Collegiate Church of Saint-Donat-sur-l'Herbasse, in Ardèche-Hermitage
About Bach 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.
Bach Festival — edition 2026
The 64th edition of the Jean-Sébastien Bach International Festival takes place from July 25 to August 2, 2026, in Saint-Donat-sur-l'Herbasse, in the Drôme des Collines. France's oldest Bach festival offers a week of concerts dedicated to baroque and classical music, held between the Collégiale Saint-Pierre-et-Saint-Paul, the cloister, Parc Émile Bert, and several heritage sites in the surrounding area (Prieuré de Manthes, Prieuré de Charrière).
2026 Edition: Bach and his Dialogues
True to its baroque roots, the Centre Musical International J.-S. Bach continues its mission in 2026 to transmit and foster dialogue between eras, aesthetics, and audiences. The program weaves unexpected bridges: from Bach's timeless spirit to Vivaldi's theatrical fervor, from the scholarly roots of early music to the contemporary impulses of flamenco or current music.
Concerts take place in the Collégiale Saint-Pierre-et-Saint-Paul in Saint-Donat and its cloister, but also in several heritage sites in the Drôme des Collines (Parc Émile Bert, Prieuré de Manthes, Prieuré de Charrière). The festival is extended by the XXIVth Summer Academy, whose closing concert brings participants together on August 14, 2026, at the Collégiale.
Programme Bach Festival 2026
Saturday, July 25, 2026
- 11:00 AM — Aubade: Camille Longinotti (violin) · Parc Émile Bert
- 9:00 PM — "Baroque Storms": Hjördis Newhouse (soprano), Ensemble Baroque de Nice, dir. Gilbert Bezzina · Collégiale de Saint-Donat
Sunday, July 26, 2026
- 6:30 PM — "The Venice Journey": Trio Concordances (viol, cello, theorbo) · Prieuré de Manthes
Wednesday, July 29, 2026
- 9:00 PM — "1643: Legacies": Les Passions, Ensemble vocal Dulci Jubilo · Collégiale de Saint-Donat
Friday, July 31, 2026
- 9:00 PM — "From Erik Satie to Queen": Duo Lyra (harp, mandolin) · Prieuré de Charrière
Saturday, August 1, 2026
- 11:00 AM — Aubade: P. Rudant (traverso), V. Pillot (harpsichord) · Parc Émile Bert
- 8:00 PM — "Musicians, to the table!": Les Galants Caprices · Cloître de la Collégiale
Sunday, August 2, 2026
- 6:30 PM — "Baroque Flamenco": Daphné Souvatzi, François Aria · Cloître de la Collégiale
- 9:00 PM — "Vivaldi, Divina Stella": Blandine de Sansal, Le Concert de l'Hostel Dieu · Collégiale de Saint-Donat
Friday, August 14, 2026 (closing of the Summer Academy)
- 8:30 PM — Concert of the XXIVth Summer Academy, with participants · Collégiale de Saint-Donat
Prices Bach Festival 2026
Practical information — Bach Festival
Practical Information
Access
The festival takes place at the Collegiate Church Saint-Pierre-et-Saint-Paul, Saint-Donat-sur-l'Herbasse, 26260.
- By car: Saint-Donat is located 25 km from Tournon-sur-Rhône and 30 km from Valence, accessible via the D532.
- By train: Tain-l'Hermitage / Tournon-sur-Rhône station, then car (25 km).
Schedule
- Evening and afternoon concerts, from the last Saturday of July to the first Sunday of August.
Prices
- Consult the C.M.I. website for ticketing.
Contact
- Website: cmi-bach.com
- Organizer: J.-S. Bach International Music Center
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Where does it take place — Bach Festival
Collégiale Saint-Pierre-et-Saint-Paul
Palais Delphinal, Saint-Donat-sur-l'Herbasse, 26260 Saint-Donat-sur-l'Herbasse