Tons Voisins Festival
Chamber music at the heart of the episcopal city of Albi
About Tons Voisins
Tons Voisins: Twenty Years of Chamber Music in Albi
Since 2006, the Tons Voisins festival has resonated with chamber music in the heart of the episcopal city of Albi, a UNESCO World Heritage site. Under the artistic direction of pianist Denis Pascal, originally from Albi, this event has established itself as one of the most refined gatherings in the classical music scene in Occitanie and France.
Exceptional Venues for Intimate Music
The uniqueness of Tons Voisins lies in its setting within Albi's most remarkable heritage sites. The Palais de la Berbie, a medieval fortress overlooking the Tarn, the Grand Théâtre of the Scène Nationale, the Théâtre des Lices, the Hôtel de Gorsse, and the Résidence Les Mimosas all offer intimate settings for music designed for proximity between artists and the audience. This chamber dimension, in the literal sense of the word, constitutes the very essence of the festival.
An Excellent Program
Each edition of Tons Voisins offers a thematic musical journey through the centuries, from the Baroque to the 20th century, including Classical, Romantic, and contemporary music. Around forty internationally renowned musicians — pianists, violinists, cellists, clarinetists, singers — gather for four days for about fifteen concerts. Denis Pascal composes each program with particular attention to the dialogues between the works, creating musical pathways that illuminate the resonances between eras and aesthetics.
The festival has notably dedicated entire editions to Schubert, Beethoven, Brahms, and female composers, offering moments of rare musical intensity in venues that encourage attentive listening and emotional sharing.
A Festival Supported by the Scène Nationale
Tons Voisins is produced by the Scène Nationale d'Albi-Tarn, a leading cultural institution in the department. This institutional support guarantees the festival the resources for an ambitious program while ensuring an accessible pricing policy. Support from the City of Albi, the Department of Tarn, the Occitanie Region, and the Ministry of Culture allows this event to shine far beyond the borders of Tarn.
Tons Voisins — edition 2026
The Tons Voisins festival celebrates its 20th edition from June 2 to 6, 2026 in Albi. For this anniversary, pianist Denis Pascal and the Scène Nationale d'Albi-Tarn offer fifteen concerts in the most emblematic heritage sites of the UNESCO-listed episcopal city: Palais de la Berbie, Grand Théâtre, Théâtre des Lices, Hôtel de Gorsse, Résidence Les Mimosas, Médiathèque Pierre-Amalric, Cloître Saint-Salvy, not to mention the Maison de quartier de Cantepau and the Église de Labastide-Dénat. The program brings together internationally renowned artists around masterworks of the chamber repertoire, from baroque (Vivaldi, Bach) to the 20th century (Albéniz, Schubert, Falla, Mozart, Poulenc, Piazzolla), with several original creations blending classical music and world music.
20th Edition — From June 2 to 6, 2026
The Tons Voisins festival celebrates twenty years of chamber music in Albi from June 2 to 6, 2026. For this anniversary edition, the Polyèdres Tons Voisins association and the Scène Nationale d'Albi-Tarn invite you to discover an exceptional program bringing together some forty international musicians.
A program between baroque and creation
Under the artistic direction of pianist Denis Pascal, the 2026 edition offers a musical journey from baroque to the 20th century. Vivaldi dialogues with Philip Glass at the Maison de quartier de Cantepau, Albéniz is celebrated for the centenary of the creation of his Iberia cycle (1926-2026) by Jean-François Heisser, Schubert resonates at the Théâtre des Lices with Winterreise performed by tenor Daniel Behle and the Trio Pascal, Mozart closes the festival with the Gran Partita KV 361 in a visual interpretation by Olivier Garouste.
Creations and guests
Several creations punctuate the festival: Sarabande Soufie with Persian singer Aida Nosrat, archlutenist Thomas Dunford, harpsichordist Violaine Cochard and the Chemirani brothers; Los Pájaros perdidos around Piazzolla, Falla and Ravel at the Hôtel de Gorsse; and 1936, Spain at the Palais de la Berbie, where Francis Poulenc meets Gregory Porter, Chick Corea and Astor Piazzolla, with trumpeter Jorge Vistel and jazz pianist Paul Lay.
Guest artists
The edition brings together guitarist Raphaël Feuillâtre, clarinetist Raphaël Sévère, violinist Alexandre Pascal and cellist Aurélien Pascal, pianists Suzana Bartal and Jean-Baptiste Doulcet, soprano Lisa Chaïb-Auriol, narrator Marie-Christine Barrault, tenor Daniel Behle, as well as violinists Shuichi Okada, Elsa Moatti, Anne Gravoin and Simon Milone, under the musical direction of oboist David Walter for the ensemble concerts.
Free concerts
Four events are free to access: Vivaldi à Cantepau (June 2 at the Maison de quartier de Cantepau), Passeggiata (June 5 at the Médiathèque Pierre-Amalric), Impromptu Raphaël Feuillâtre (June 5 at the Hôtel Reynes) and Impromptu Trombones (June 6 at the Cloître Saint-Salvy).
Programme Tons Voisins 2026
Tuesday, June 2, 2026
- 5:00 PM — Vivaldi à Cantepau · Maison de quartier de Cantepau · Free. Dialogue between minimalism (Philip Glass) and baroque (Vivaldi). With Shuichi Okada, Elsa Moatti, Simon Milone, Alexandre Pascal (violins), Yume Fujise, Vashka Delnavazi (violas), David Walter (oboe), Marie-Paule Milone (cello), Olivier Thiery (double bass), Catherine Imbert (harpsichord).
- 8:30 PM — Poèmes Nabis · Église de Labastide-Dénat. Works by Mel Bonis, Rita Strohl, Charlotte Sohy, Erik Satie and Ernest Chausson. With Denis Pascal, Isabelle Pourkat, Catherine Imbert (pianos), Jérôme Comte (clarinet), Alexandre Pascal (violin), Marie-Paule Milone (cello).
Wednesday, June 3, 2026
- 3:00 PM — Complete Cycle Iberia by Isaac Albéniz (1926-2026) · Théâtre des Lices. Jean-François Heisser (piano), Jean-Yves Clément (texts).
- 7:00 PM — Sarabande Soufie · Grand Théâtre. Creation blending baroque music and Persian Sufi traditions. With Aida Nosrat (Persian vocals), Thomas Dunford (archlute), Violaine Cochard (harpsichord), Sokratis Sinopoulos (lyra), Keyvan and Bijan Chemirani (percussion, direction).
Thursday, June 4, 2026
- 12:00 PM — Musical Impromptu · Médiathèque Pierre-Amalric · Free. With Grégory Daltin (accordion), Marie-Paule Milone (cello), Simon Milone and Elsa Moatti (violins).
- 2:30 PM — Vivaldi, the violin of the four seasons · Théâtre des Lices. Julie Depardieu (narrator), Clara Cernat (violin), Thierry Huillet (piano).
- 6:00 PM — Intimate Notebook (Bach) · Théâtre des Lices. Marie-Christine Barrault (narrator), Marie-Paule Milone (cello), Denis Pascal (piano). Works by J.-S. Bach, C. P. E. Bach and J.-C. Bach, texts by Esther Meynell.
- 8:00 PM — Europe and Spain through the centuries · Grand Théâtre. Musical direction: David Walter. With Lisa Chaïb-Auriol (soprano), Raphaël Feuillâtre (guitar), Alexandre Pascal (violin) and the musicians of Tons Voisins. From Jean-Féry Rebel to Joaquín Rodrigo.
Friday, June 5, 2026
- 12:00 PM — Passeggiata · Médiathèque Pierre-Amalric · Free. Klezmer, Brazilian choros and film music. With Grégory Daltin (accordion), Elsa Moatti and Simon Milone (violins).
- 3:00 PM — Singing flowers and film music · Résidence Les Mimosas. Works by Morricone, Kosma, Rota, Jean Wiéner and Jean-Paul-Égide Martini. With Lisa Chaïb-Auriol (soprano), Grégory Daltin (accordion), Denis Pascal and Catherine Imbert (piano), André Feydy (trumpet), Alexandre Pascal (violin), Marie-Paule Milone (cello).
- 5:00 PM — Impromptu Raphaël Feuillâtre · Hôtel Reynes · Free. Classical guitar recital.
- 6:00 PM — Winterreise (Schubert, Winterreise D. 911) · Théâtre des Lices. Daniel Behle (tenor), Marie-Christine Barrault (narrator), Trio Pascal (Denis Pascal piano, Aurélien Pascal cello, Alexandre Pascal violin).
- 9:00 PM — 1864, Sehnsucht (Longing) · Palais de la Berbie. Musical direction: David Walter. Works by Mozart, Bach, Mahler, Richard Strauss, Bruckner and Smetana. With Daniel Behle, Lisa Chaïb-Auriol and the ensemble of festival musicians (approximately 25 instrumentalists).
Saturday, June 6, 2026
- 11:00 AM — Los Pájaros perdidos · Hôtel de Gorsse. Works by Piazzolla (The Seasons of Buenos Aires), Falla (Spanish Popular Suite), Ravel (Trio in A minor). With Lisa Chaïb-Auriol (soprano), Raphaël Feuillâtre (guitar), Raphaël Sévère (clarinet), Aurélien Pascal (cello), Alexandre Pascal (violin), Suzana Bartal and Jean-Baptiste Doulcet (pianos).
- 12:00 PM — Impromptu Trombones · Cloître Saint-Salvy · Free.
- 5:00 PM — Immersive Concert — Gran Partita (Mozart, Serenade KV 361) · Grand Théâtre, Upper Hall. With video creations by Olivier Garouste. Clarinets: Jérôme Comte, Raphaël Sévère, Joë Christophe, François Pascal · Oboes: Coline Prouvost, Alexandre Gattet · Horns: Manuel Escauriaza, Jeanne Maugrenier, Manon Souchard, Benjamin Chareyron · Bassoons: Julien Hardy, Marceau Lefèvre · Double bass: Olivier Thiery.
- 9:00 PM — 1936, Spain · Palais de la Berbie. Creation where Francis Poulenc meets Gregory Porter, Chick Corea and Astor Piazzolla. With Jorge Vistel (trumpet), Suzana Bartal and Jean-Baptiste Doulcet (pianos), Raphaël Feuillâtre (guitar), Alexandre Pascal (violin), Marie-Paule Milone and Aurélien Pascal (cellos), Clemens van der Feen (double bass), Donald Kontomanou (drums), Paul Lay (jazz piano).
Highlights Tons Voisins 2026
- 20th anniversary edition of the festival, created in 2006
- 15 concerts in 5 days across 9 heritage sites in Albi (UNESCO episcopal city)
- Centenary of the creation of Albéniz's Iberia cycle (1926-2026), complete performance by Jean-François Heisser
- Creation of Sarabande Soufie with Aida Nosrat and the Chemirani brothers
- Creation of 1936, Spain blending Poulenc, jazz and popular music with Jorge Vistel and Paul Lay
- 2 major evening concerts at the Palais de la Berbie (June 5 and 6 at 9 PM)
- 4 free access concerts (Cantepau, Médiathèque Amalric, Hôtel Reynes, Cloître Saint-Salvy)
- 11-concert pass at €150 with Polyèdres membership
Prices Tons Voisins 2026
Practical information — Tons Voisins
Practical Information
Access
By car: Albi is accessible via the A68 from Toulouse (75 km). The various festival venues are located in the historic center of Albi, accessible on foot.
By train: Albi-Ville station, served by TER liO from Toulouse (approx. 1h15). The festival venues are a 10-15 minute walk from the station.
Ticketing
Tickets and passes available on billetterie.sn-albi.fr and at the box office of the Scène Nationale d'Albi-Tarn. Tel: 05 63 38 55 55.
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Where does it take place — Tons Voisins
Grand Théâtre, Palais de la Berbie et lieux patrimoniaux d'Albi
Place de l'Amitié entre les Peuples, 81000 Albi