Ribeauvillé Early Music Festival
Early Music Today — The Great Baroque Rendezvous on the Alsace Wine Route
About Ribeauvillé Festival
Forty Years of Early Music in Alsace
Founded in 1984 by a group of passionate music lovers, driven by Éliette Schneider, the Ribeauvillé Early Music Festival is among the most prestigious events for Baroque and Renaissance music in France. For four decades, it has highlighted the treasures of ancient repertoire in the enchanting setting of Ribeauvillé, a medieval town nestled at the foot of the Vosges mountains on the famous Alsace Wine Route.
Martin Gester, a Visionary Artistic Director
The festival is directed by Martin Gester, an internationally renowned harpsichordist, organist, conductor, and educator. Founder of the Parlement de Musique, an ensemble specializing in the Baroque repertoire, he has carried out exemplary work on European music from Monteverdi to Mozart. His programming is distinguished by its eclecticism: virtuosity meets boldness, curiosity, and a spirit of discovery, connecting the past to the present.
Three Weekends, Six Exceptional Concerts
The festival unfolds over three weekends between September and October, offering six concerts in the heritage sites of Ribeauvillé and neighboring villages. The programs span centuries and borders: "wild" Baroque music with Purcell and Nordic traditions, the sensuality of 17th-century Baroque gardens, Telemann's Polish dances, Sephardic romances, and romantic reveries. The Parlement de Musique is the festival's resident ensemble.
Exceptional Concert Venues
The concerts are held in heritage sites of rare beauty: the Couvent Church in Ribeauvillé, the Hunawihr Church amidst the vineyards, the Sainte-Catherine Chapel, the Le Parc cultural space, and other emblematic locations in the wine region. These intimate and acoustically remarkable settings offer a unique proximity to the musicians and total immersion in early music.
An Open and Generous Festival
Beyond ticketed concerts, the festival offers free aubades and open rehearsals, allowing everyone to discover early music in a spirit of sharing and conviviality. Ribeauvillé, with its half-timbered houses, three ruined castles, and welcoming winstubs, provides an ideal setting to extend the musical experience by exploring Alsatian heritage and its great wines.
Ribeauvillé Festival — edition 2026
41st edition of the Ribeauvillé Early Music Festival, from September 26 to October 11, 2026. Six concerts of early music, from Renaissance to Baroque, held on weekends in Ribeauvillé's churches and heritage sites, on the Alsace Wine Route. Program curated by Martin Gester, director of the Parlement de Musique.
A 41st edition: six concerts, six worlds
The 41st edition of the Ribeauvillé Early Music Festival takes place over three weekends, from September 26 to October 11, 2026. True to its spirit 'early music today', it offers six concerts that bring the Renaissance and Baroque repertoire into dialogue with contemporary listening, under the programming of Martin Gester, director of the Parlement de Musique in Strasbourg.
The concerts take over the heritage sites of the medieval city: the Convent Church, the Protestant Church, and Saint-Grégoire Church in Ribeauvillé, acoustic settings conducive to immersion in early music, in the heart of the Alsatian vineyard.
Programme Ribeauvillé Festival 2026
Saturday, September 26, 2026 — 8:00 PM
Convent Church, Ribeauvillé
- Chœur Exosphère (directed by Jean-Philippe Billmann) — works by Schütz, Buxtehude, J.M. Bach, Caroline Shaw, and Gounod.
Sunday, September 27, 2026 — 5:00 PM
Saint-Grégoire Church, Ribeauvillé
- Yves Rechsteiner (organ) & Henri-Charles Caget (percussion) — Rameau: overtures, dances, and opera arias.
Saturday, October 3, 2026 — 8:00 PM
Protestant Church, Ribeauvillé
- Ensemble Fair Oriana — 'Music in Shakespeare's Time': Morley, Dowland, lute songs.
Sunday, October 4, 2026 — 5:00 PM
Protestant Church, Ribeauvillé
- Ensemble La Fonte Musica — Monteverdi: Combattimento di Tancredi e Clorinda and madrigals.
Saturday, October 10, 2026 — 8:00 PM
Protestant Church, Ribeauvillé
- Ensemble Près de votre oreille — 'A Salon under Louis XIII': court airs.
Sunday, October 11, 2026 — 5:00 PM
Convent Church, Ribeauvillé
- Voces Suaves & Ad Fontes (directed by Martin Gester) — Marc-Antoine Charpentier: Missa Assumpta est Maria.
Highlights Ribeauvillé Festival 2026
- Six concerts on weekends from September 26 to October 11, 2026
- Charpentier (Missa Assumpta est) by Voces Suaves & Ad Fontes under the direction of Martin Gester as the closing performance
- Concerts in Ribeauvillé's heritage churches on the Alsace Wine Route
Prices Ribeauvillé Festival 2026
Practical information — Ribeauvillé Festival
Access
Ribeauvillé is located on the Alsace Wine Route, 18 km north of Colmar.
- By car: A35 exit Ribeauvillé / N83. Free parking on the outskirts of the historic center.
- By train: Colmar station then bus or shuttle (line 106, 30 min).
- By bus: Kunegel network, Colmar-Ribeauvillé line.
Concert Venues
- Église du Couvent — Ribeauvillé
- Église de Hunawihr — Amidst the vineyards
- Chapelle Sainte-Catherine — Ribeauvillé
- Le Parc — Ribeauvillé Stage
Prices
From €25 to €32 depending on the concert. Reduced price €10 (students, 12-18 years old, job seekers). Free for children under 12 accompanied. Packages available for multiple concerts.
Ticketing
Online at HelloAsso or by mail: Rencontres de Musique Ancienne, Place du Grand Bailli, 1 rue de la Sinne, 68150 Ribeauvillé.
Contact
Email: [email protected]
Website: festival-musique-ribeauville.com
Practical Tips
Concerts at the Hunawihr church at sunset are unforgettable. Remember to book, capacity is limited. Take advantage of the weekend to visit Riquewihr and taste the great wines of Schoenenbourg and Sporen.
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Where does it take place — Ribeauvillé Festival
Église du Couvent, église de Hunawihr et lieux patrimoniaux
Place du Grand Bailli, 1 rue de la Sinne, 68150 Ribeauvillé, 68150 Ribeauvillé