Les Heures Exquises
Classical music festival in Fouesnant-les Glénan
2026
About Les Heures Exquises
Every year at the end of summer, the Les Heures Exquises festival brings together a recital, a chamber music concert, and an opera performance held in the chapels of Fouesnant and at L'Archipel, the town's cultural center. The festival draws inspiration from the 1895 visit of Marcel Proust and composer Reynaldo Hahn to Beg-Meil, which serves as the starting point for a program that explores a new theme each year.
The event was born from a collaboration between L'Archipel and a local artist couple: Mathieu Franot, co-director of the Frivolités Parisiennes and the Opéra de Reims, and harpist Chloé Ducray. The organizing association works in partnership with the Fouesnant-les Glénan tourist office.
Les Heures Exquises — edition 2026
This third edition of the Les Heures Exquises festival explores the myth of Romeo and Juliet through its musical and theatrical interpretations: featuring French, Italian, and Spanish works, from Bellini to Piazzolla, and culminating in Charles Gounod's opera. The weekend features three main events, headlined by soprano Roxane Chalard, tenor Abel Zemora, mezzo-soprano Cécile Madelin, and the Festival Orchestra.
Following an inaugural edition dedicated to the world of Proust and Reynaldo Hahn in 2024, and a second focused on Orientalism and Spanish music in 2025, the 2026 edition centers on the Romeo and Juliet myth, tracing its influence from Proust's "In Search of Lost Time" to Gounod's opera. The weekend program includes a vocal recital, a chamber music concert, and an opera performance, hosted in two local chapels and at L'Archipel.
Programme Les Heures Exquises 2026
Friday, September 11, 2026
- 8:00 PM — "Romeo(s) and Juliet(s)" recital with Roxane Chalard (soprano), Abel Zemora (tenor), Cécile Madelin (mezzo-soprano), and the Festival Orchestra · Chapelle Sainte-Anne (Fouesnant)
Saturday, September 12, 2026
- 8:00 PM — "Heroines" chamber music concert by the Festival Septet (flute, clarinet, string quartet, harp), featuring works by Rimsky-Korsakov, Fauré, and Ravel · Chapelle Saint-Guénolé (Beg-Meil)
Sunday, September 13, 2026
- 3:00 PM — "Romeo and Juliet" opera by Charles Gounod, featuring Roxane Chalard (Juliet), Abel Zemora (Romeo), Cécile Madelin, Mathieu Gourlet, the Festival Orchestra conducted by Alexandra Cravero, and directed by Chloé Ducray · L'Archipel (Fouesnant)
Additional daytime highlights are planned by the organizers, with details to be announced.
Prices Les Heures Exquises 2026
Practical information — Les Heures Exquises
Concerts are held at three venues across the town of Fouesnant-les Glénan: the Sainte-Anne chapel and L'Archipel in Fouesnant, and the Saint-Guénolé chapel in Beg-Meil. Booking in advance via the association's online ticketing service is recommended.
Where does it take place — Les Heures Exquises
Les Heures Exquises in brief
History of Les Heures Exquises
Edition 2025 Aug 2025Other festivals near Fouesnant
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