In Bayreuth and across Franconia, the 2026 edition of the Gluck Festival explores a body of work at the crossroads of styles, between the last embers of the Baroque and the birth of Romanticism. At its helm, conductor Michael Hofstetter sketches the portrait of a forward-looking musician whose legacy—claimed alike by Berlioz and Wagner—has left a lasting mark on the musical world.
The Magdeburg Telemann Days have taken place every two years since 1962 in Magdeburg (Germany), the composer’s birthplace. And despite this long-standing tradition, the festival continues to offer genuine rediscoveries of the celebrated composer, a contemporary and close friend of Johann Sebastian Bach. This is made possible in particular thanks to the strong scholarly foundation of the Telemann Centre.
In March, Zurich aims to become the world capital of early music: shortly before Easter, from March 20 to 29, the new festival “Zürich Barock” will celebrate its first edition. Created by Matthias Schulz, director of the city’s Opera House, the event–featuring international headliners such as Philippe Jaroussky, Cecilia Bartoli, Max Emanuel Cenčić, and Raphaël Pichon–promises to be one of the highlights of the season. Matthias Schulz offers us an overview of this new format, which he envisions as distinctly international.
Musicians of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries criss-crossed Europe, shaping a baroque tradition in constant motion. It is this musical geography that the next edition of “Mars en Baroque” (France) sets out to highlight, under the impetus of its artistic director, harpsichordist Jean-Marc Aymes.
In Vienna in January, the early music festival “Resonanzen” extends the memory of the great Baroque era of the Austrian capital in the 18th century. In the various halls of the imposing and very classical Wiener Konzerthaus, up to three concerts a day are offered. The 2026 edition has just concluded under the theme “Women.” A look back at a major event in musical life in Central Europe.
In a bend of the Danube, 80 km from Vienna, Melk Abbey (Austria) hosts a Baroque music festival every year at Pentecost, set against an enchanting backdrop. Artistic director and tenor Michael Schade has just unveiled the 2026 edition.
Launched in a café twenty years ago by Alexandra Scheibler, the Festival International Bach Montréal has grown into a major event that brings together Quebec artists and international ensembles. From the lute to the accordion, from breakdance to Baroque … the journey began thanks to a serendipitous business-class flight!
Every August in south-western France, the “Itinéraire Baroque” festival, founded 24 years ago by Ton Koopman, takes musicians and audiences on a unique journey filled with concerts and discoveries. Fiona Hook gives us a glimpse into her notebook for the 2025 edition.
The 46th International Festival of Music “Evenings with Telemann” takes place this October at Pszczyna Castle (Poland). Artistic director Martyna Pastuszka looks back on the Festival’s unusual history, and on the tumultuous story of the castle that hosts it.
After focusing on Neapolitan opera, the Bayreuth Baroque Festival is staging Cavalli’s Pompeo Magno (1666). “I want to showcase the full richness of Venetian musical theatre,” says its artistic director, Max Emanuel Cenčić.
