Les Estivales de Puisaye

Les Estivales de Puisaye: Twenty Years of Traveling Classical Music in Burgundy

Born in 2003 on the initiative of composer and choirmaster Rémi Gousseau, the Estivales de Puisaye festival has established itself over two decades as the unmissable classical music event in northern Burgundy. Based in Champignelles (Yonne), this traveling festival radiates each summer across about fifteen towns in Puisaye-Forterre and neighboring areas – Loiret, Nièvre, Aillantais, and Auxerrois – enlivening villages, sometimes with only a few hundred inhabitants, for ten days.

The founding idea is both simple and demanding: to bring great classical music to places it doesn't normally reach, in the Romanesque and Gothic churches of Puisaye, these natural auditoriums whose marvelous acoustics enhance voices and instruments. Each edition features more than one concert per day, in an accessible format that has built a loyal family and music-loving audience from across the region and beyond.

A Festival Centered on Voice and Youth

The artistic backbone of the Estivales is the Maîtrise of the Saint-Louis de Gonzague college-high school in Paris, a choir of excellence directed by Sophie Chiu, whom Rémi Gousseau placed at the heart of the project from the beginning. These young singers, trained in one of France's leading choral schools, mingle with invited professional soloists and musicians from the Estivales Symphony Orchestra to embody an artistic vision based on intergenerational transmission and the promotion of young talent.

Over the years, the festival has hosted leading artists: violinist Gaëtane Prouvost, pianist Aurélien Pontier, cellist Olivia Gay, mezzo-soprano Marie Gautrot, soprano Servane Brochard, and baritone Philippe Brocard, associate artistic director, whose stage and musical presence enriches each edition.

The Champignelles Operetta: A Unique Highlight

Each edition features a specific program in Champignelles, the festival's headquarters: the operetta. This staged lyrical performance, held at the town's Centre de Rencontres, is one of the most festive moments of the calendar. Offenbach, Lecocq, Bizet – the repertoire of French opéra-bouffe and operetta is celebrated with particular care, bringing together the Maîtrise, professional soloists, and the direction of Philippe Brocard. The 2025 edition featured Offenbach's Les Brigands, whose success led to performances outside the festival in Paris, at the Théâtre du Lycée Saint-Louis de Gonzague, on January 10 and 11, 2026.

An Exceptionally Rich Program

Over ten days, the Estivales offer a program of great stylistic diversity. Each edition includes:

• The Operetta: A grand staged performance, exclusively in Champignelles (three performances)
• Sacred Music Concert: Vivaldi, Pergolesi, Bach, Handel – often with premieres by founder Rémi Gousseau – in a regional church
• Chamber Music Concert: Intimate recitals in the most beautiful churches of Puisaye, with top invited instrumentalists
• Evening at the Château: Concert in the magnificent setting of the Château de Saint-Fargeau, a historic jewel of the region
• Grand Symphonic Concert: Featuring the Prague Camerata Bohemiana Orchestra and the festival's soloists
• Offbeat Musical Performance: An original show blending humor, theater, and classical music (format Opéra'tour – lyrical music differently)
• Recital: Solo voice and piano, exploring the great repertoire from the Middle Ages to late Romanticism
• Closing Concert: A grand symphonic and choral fresco at the Auxerre Cathedral, bringing together the Estivales Symphony Orchestra, the Maîtrise Saint-Louis de Gonzague, and the Estivales Academy Choir

In 2025, the closing concert featured Ravel's Boléro and Rossini's Petite Messe Solennelle before an audience from across the region in the cathedral's Gothic nave. In 2026, Haydn's The Creation is announced for the closing concert, with soprano Sabine Revault d'Allones, tenor Constantin Goubet, bass Pierre Bessière, and the Estivales Symphony Orchestra conducted by Rémi Gousseau.

The Choral Academy: Sing with the Estivales

Each summer, the festival offers a Choral Academy open to amateur singers of all ages and nationalities. For ten days, participants rehearse under the direction of Sophie Chiu and take part in the closing concert in the cathedral alongside professional soloists and the orchestra. This residential, intergenerational program, attracting singers from all over France and abroad, embodies the spirit of sharing and excellence that defines the Estivales. It allows passionate amateurs to have an intensely professional musical experience in an exceptional natural and heritage setting.

Concert Venues of Incomparable Beauty

Puisaye is a land of hedgerows, ponds, and forests, dotted with villages with medieval churches, some dating back to the 12th century. The Estivales use these sacred spaces to reveal their acoustic and spiritual power. Regularly featured venues include:

• Champignelles — Centre de Rencontres (operetta)
• Toucy — Collégiale Saint-Germain
• Saint-Sauveur-en-Puisaye — Parish church
• Charny — Église Saint-Jean-Baptiste
• Sommecaise — Church
• Saint-Aubin-Château-Neuf — Church
• Château de Saint-Fargeau — Castle courtyard
• Aillant-sur-Milleron (Loiret) — Church
• Nogent-sur-Vernisson (Loiret) — Espace des Étangs
• Cathédrale Saint-Étienne d'Auxerre — closing concert

A Festival Rooted in its Territory

Les Estivales de Puisaye benefit from the support of the Departmental Council of Yonne, the Community of Communes Puisaye-Forterre, the Region Bourgogne-Franche-Comté, and a major private patron, the Bernard and Caroline de Watteville Foundation. The Association des Amis des Estivales (Friends of the Estivales Association) revolves around the festival, its volunteer members forming the living fabric of the event.

With ticket prices starting at €10, Les Estivales de Puisaye embody a democratic vision of classical culture, convinced that great music can and should reach rural areas and touch audiences that large Parisian venues do not. For over twenty years, this commitment has been consistently met with generosity and talent.