One of the most noteworthy characteristics of this festival is that most of the concerts take place in an old Benedictine abbey with exceptional acoustics.

This year’s central theme is Mozart, together with programs consisting of music by little-known Italian baroque composers such as Stradella, Gabrieli and Perti or better-known masters like Doménico Scarlatti. Music by Shostakovich and Rachmaninoff will also be performed.

This year’s conductor-in-residence is Paul McCreesh, with six concerts and Bernard Fabre-Garrus leading A Sei Voci in two. But it is difficult to single out any one artist from the splendid array of orchestras, ensembles and performers participating in one or more of the Festival’s 40 concerts.

Here is a list of some of them: La Chambre Philharmonique with Emmanuel Krivine, Françoise Lasserre’s Ensemble Akademia, Rinaldo Alessandrini’s Concerto Italiano, Jean-Christophe Frisch’s Ensemble XVIII-21, Orchestre Baroque de l’Union Européenne (EUBO) under the direction of Lars Ulrik Mortensen, Michel Corboz’s Ensemble Vocal et Instrumental de Lausanne, Frédéric Desenclos’s Ensemble Pierre Robert, Orchestre Symphonique de la Philharmonie Nationale d’Ukraine with Mykola Dyadyura, Harry Christophers’ The Sixteen, Enrico Gatti’s Ensemble Aurora, Franck-Emmanuel Comte’s Le Concert de l’Hostel-Dieu, and the Namur Chœur and Jean Tubéry’s Ensemble La Fenice.

All boast new and highly appealing programs.