Baroque Week in Tournus

Baroque Week in Tournus: Early Music in Romanesque Burgundy

Every July, the town of Tournus and its surroundings resonate with the sound of ancient instruments during the Baroque Week. Organized by the association Évasions Musicales en Bourgogne Romane, a collective of musicians, teachers, and performers of early music, this festival combines artistic excellence and musical transmission in an exceptional heritage setting.

An Original Format Combining Workshop and Festival

Baroque Week stands out for its hybrid format, halfway between a concert festival and a musical practice workshop. For a week, amateur and professional musicians gather to work together on the Baroque and Renaissance repertoire under the guidance of renowned masters. Renaissance and Baroque dance master-classes complete the program, allowing participants to fully immerse themselves in the artistic universe of these eras.

Concerts in Romanesque Churches

The concerts of Baroque Week take place in the Romanesque churches of the Mâconnais-Tournugeois, architectural jewels of the 11th and 12th centuries offering ideal natural acoustics for early music. The Abbatiale Saint-Philibert de Tournus, a masterpiece of Romanesque art with its barrel vaults and massive pillars, is the main setting for these musical moments.

A Renewed Thematic Program

Each edition is organized around a theme that guides the programming of concerts and workshops. The great musical capitals of Baroque Europe—Venice, Dresden, London, Rome—inspire the programs in turn, inviting the public on a musical journey through centuries and borders. The musical serenades offered by the participants at the end of the day create spontaneous moments of sharing in the streets of Tournus.

A Friendly and Accessible Event

Baroque Week in Tournus aims to be a local festival, where the public can interact with musicians and discover early music in a relaxed atmosphere. Affordable prices and free concerts during the serenades help to widely open this musical world to the general public.