Les Nouvelles Traversées - Rencontres Musicales de Noirlac
Festival of ancient, classical, and traditional music at Noirlac Abbey
About Les Traversées de Noirlac
A festival in a Cistercian setting
For over 30 years, Les Nouvelles Traversées - Rencontres Musicales de Noirlac have transformed the Abbaye de Noirlac into a major music venue. This 12th-century Cistercian abbey, located in Bruère-Allichamps in the Cher region, is one of the best-preserved monastic ensembles in France. Its pure architecture and exceptional acoustics provide an ideal setting for concerts.
An eclectic and demanding program
The festival offers a program that spans eras and styles: from baroque to jazz, from the Middle Ages to the present day, from Breton songs to the music of Constantinople. This diversity is the festival's signature, inviting discovery and musical journeys. The program favors voice and soundscapes, with particular attention paid to creations and artist encounters.
Festive Fridays and contemplative Saturdays
The festival is structured around two atmospheres. Friday evenings celebrate traditional music in a festive and convivial atmosphere, with artists such as Leïla Martial or Rodolphe Burger. Saturdays offer three concerts exploring the voice, with ensembles like the Estonian choir Vox Clamantis, the ensemble Irini, the Chanteurs d'oiseaux, or the Chemirani family.
Two weeks of music in June-July
Les Nouvelles Traversées take place over two weeks, generally from June 21 to July 5. The festival offers eleven concerts bringing together several generations of talented musicians. This duration helps create a true community of loyal spectators and fosters encounters between artists and the public.
Artistic and territorial commitment
The festival is supported by the Abbaye de Noirlac, a Cultural Encounter Center managed by the Departmental Council of Cher. It is part of an initiative to promote heritage through artistic creation and contributes to the cultural influence of the Berry region. The festival also hosts artists in residence and offers cultural mediation activities.
Les Traversées de Noirlac — edition 2026
Les Nouvelles Traversées 2026, titled "an archipelago of voices", will take place from June 14 to July 4, 2026, at Noirlac Abbey. This edition celebrates the solo voice in all its forms, through sixteen concerts spread over an off-site weekend (La Rêveuse Tour) and three weekends at the abbey, mixing medieval, baroque, fado, vernacular music, and contemporary creations.
An edition dedicated to the solo voice
For this new edition, the Les Nouvelles Traversées festival explores "an archipelago of voices". Where previous editions focused on choral polyphonies, the 2026 edition celebrates the solo voice in all its forms, in its relationship to life and medieval memory.
Four highlights from June 14 to July 4, 2026
The festival is structured around four sequences:
- June 14 to 16 — La Rêveuse Tour, off-site (Ainay-le-Vieil, Bourges, Plaimpied-Givaudins)
- June 19 and 20 — Medieval and Baroque weekend at the abbey
- June 26 and 27 — Solo Voices weekend
- July 3 and 4 — Closing weekend
A program between heritage and creation
Sixteen concerts punctuate the first summer weekends in the different spaces of the abbey: the abbey church, the dormitory, and the gardens. The festival welcomes major figures of the nomadic lyrical scene — Dima Bawab, Clara Coutouly, Claire Lefilliâtre, Katarina Livljanić, Anna Stéphany, Karen Vourc'h, Reinhoud van Mechelen — alongside Cristina Branco (fado) and Camille Saglio. Classical works by Vivaldi, Scarlatti, Bach, Mozart, and Ravel rub shoulders with the vernacular music of Les Réveillés and the Afro-Venezuelan rhythms of Parranda La Cruz. The closing is entrusted to the InChorus choir with «Path of Miracles».
The festival's little extras
Tea room on Fridays and Saturdays (pastries, drinks), Runes brewery in the gardens, food truck on Friday evening, gourmet tapas-style plates (19 €) on Saturdays, June 27 and July 4, artists' and CD bookstore on site, carpooling offered.
Programme Les Traversées de Noirlac 2026
Off-site Weekend — La Rêveuse Tour
Sunday, June 14 to Tuesday, June 16, 2026
Off-site tour in the Cher region: Ainay-le-Vieil, Bourges, Plaimpied-Givaudins.
Weekend 1 — Medieval and Baroque
Friday, June 19, 2026
- 7:00 PM — Dialogos · «Nexus Winchester» (11th-century English polyphonies) · Abbey Church
- 9:00 PM — Le Consort · «Vivaldi Reloaded» · Abbey Church
Saturday, June 20, 2026
- 3:30 PM — Patrick Boucheron, Isabelle Courroy (kaval) & Bruno Allary (electric guitar) · «Contretemps» (musical reading on the Middle Ages)
- 6:00 PM — Ensemble ApotropaïK · «Bestiaire» (inspired by medieval bestiaries)
- 9:00 PM — L'Escadron Volant de la Reine · «Requiem for Christina of Sweden»
Weekend 2 — Solo Voices
Friday, June 26, 2026
- 7:00 PM — Les Réveillés · «Chants crépusculaires»
- 9:00 PM — Parranda La Cruz · «Tambores afro venezolanos»
Saturday, June 27, 2026
- 3:30 PM — Karen Vourc'h & Dima Bawab · «Sahar»
- 6:00 PM — Jean-Pierre Seyvos & Claire Lefilliâtre · «À l'écoute de la zone critique»
- 9:00 PM — Anna Stéphany & Il Convitto · «Bach Cantates»
Weekend 3 — Closing
Friday, July 3, 2026
- 7:00 PM — Cristina Branco · «Fado em Movimento»
- 9:00 PM — Anne Besson & Reinhoud van Mechelen · «Mozart enchanté»
Saturday, July 4, 2026
- 3:30 PM — Samuel Cattiau · «Le Jardin imaginaire»
- 6:00 PM — Matthieu & Camille Saglio · «Al alba»
- 9:00 PM — InChorus · «Pèlerinage(s) / Path of Miracles» (closing concert)
Highlights Les Traversées de Noirlac 2026
- "An archipelago of voices" edition — celebration of the solo voice in all its forms
- Sixteen concerts spread over four weekends, from June 14 to July 4, 2026
- La Rêveuse Tour off-site (Ainay-le-Vieil, Bourges, Plaimpied-Givaudins) to open the festival
- Lyrical headliners: Cristina Branco, Karen Vourc'h, Dima Bawab, Claire Lefilliâtre, Anna Stéphany, Reinhoud van Mechelen
- Musical reading by historian Patrick Boucheron on the Middle Ages
- Closing concert: InChorus performs «Path of Miracles»
- Concerts in the abbey church, dormitory, and gardens of the 12th-century Cistercian abbey
Prices Les Traversées de Noirlac 2026
Practical information — Les Traversées de Noirlac
Access
Concerts take place at the Abbaye de Noirlac, 18200 Bruère-Allichamps.
- By car: From Paris (280 km), take A71 exit 8 towards Saint-Amand-Montrond, then D951. From Bourges (40 km), take D2144 then D951.
- By train: Saint-Amand-Montrond SNCF station (5 km), then taxi. Bourges station (40 km).
- Parking: Free parking at the abbey.
Prices
- Concert ticket: €15 to €25 depending on the concert
- 3-concert pass: approximately €50
- Festival pass: approximately €150
- Reduced rates: for young people, job seekers, groups
Ticketing
Book online at abbayedenoirlac.fr, by phone at 02 48 96 17 16 (Tuesday-Friday 1:30 PM-5:30 PM), or on-site.
Contact
- Phone: 02 48 96 17 16
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: www.abbayedenoirlac.fr
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Where does it take place — Les Traversées de Noirlac
Abbaye de Noirlac
Abbaye de Noirlac, 18200 Bruère-Allichamps