Edition 2026

Join the Global Celebration of Early Music


Every 21 March, festivals, concert halls, ensembles, and institutions across Europe come together to celebrate the richness of early music. Explore the diversity of events, artists, and initiatives by visiting our interactive map and find out what’s happening near you or across the continent. 

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Early Music Day 2026

20/04/2026 19:00 CEST

Early Music Day 2026 On-site

Państwowa Szkoła Muzyczna I i II stopnia, im. L. Różyckiego w Gliwicach Poland
Concert Hall, Księcia Ziemowita 12, 44-100 Gliwice
Music School in Gliwice invite for an early music concert full of baroque pieces played by kids, students and teachers.
CONCERT : PASSÉ ET PRÉSENT

28/03/2026 20:00 CET

CONCERT : PASSÉ ET PRÉSENT On-site

Conservatoire à Rayonnement Régional Pau Béarn Pyrénées France
6 rue Bargoin, 64000 PAU
Born in Switzerland in 1951, Conrad Steinmann studied recorder at the Schola Cantorum Basiliensis with Hans-Martin Linde and won the first Bruges International Competition in 1972. He taught in Zurich and then at the Schola Cantorum in Basel until 2019.
Musicians

Conrad Steinmann, flutes, recorders

The Allegory of Desire - The Song of Songs in Western and Oriental traditions

08/03/2026 16:00 CET (08/03/2026 16:00 CET)

The Allegory of Desire - The Song of Songs in Western and Oriental traditions On-site

Begga festival Belgium
Begijnhofkerk, Mechelen, Groot Begijnhof, 2800 Mechelen
Zefiro Torna blends Western and Eastern music: madrigals, choral works, and baroque pieces meet Sufi poetry and Arabic melodies for a vibrant fusion of past and present.
Musicians
  • Annelies Van Gramberen, soprano
  • Jowan Merckx, flutes, percussion
  • Liam Fennelly, viola da gamba
  • Jurgen De bruyn, lute, theorbo
  • Ghalia Benali, Arabic chant, compositions, dance
  • Vocaal Ensemble Musa Horti
AYA + TOLI - topologie de la maladresse

27/03/2026 20:00 CET

AYA + TOLI - topologie de la maladresse On-site

FRICTIONS France
Place des Corps Saints, 84000 Avignon
Presented as part of the Printemps des Poètes festival in Avignon, this performance explores the sensitive geography of thread, linked to the experience of speaking. A vibrant solo performance in which the body creates a dialogue between baroque heritage, contemporary music and audacity.
Musicians

concept - performance: Maya KAWATAKE PINON

sound design - electronic music composition: Joris DE SERRA

Los Caminos de la Cruz — Music for Good Friday from Burgundy to Spain

20/03/2026 20:00 CET (20/03/2026 20:00 CET)

Los Caminos de la Cruz — Music for Good Friday from Burgundy to Spain On-site

Cappella Pratensis Netherlands
Sint-Lambertuskerk, Torenstraat 1, 5241 VG Rosmalen
A semi-staged Good Friday programme featuring Sebastián de Vivanco's newly rediscovered Passio secundum Ioannem, motets by De la Rue, Gombert, Peñalosa and others.
Musicians Cappella Pratensis, dir. Tim Braithwaite — Andrew Hallock, Tim Braithwaite, Lior Leibovici, Peter de Laurentiis, Marc Busnel
Duo Le Jeu de Robin et Marion

31/03/2026 19:00 CEST

Duo Le Jeu de Robin et Marion On-site

CIMM / Université de Montpellier Paul-Valéry France
1 place Albert 1er, 34000 Montpellier
Concert. Written in the 1280s by the troubadour Adam de la Halle, this lyrical poem is sometimes considered to be the first Western musical.
Musicians
  • Bruno Bonhoure, musical direction, vocals, psaltery
  • Khaï-Dong Luong, research, dramaturgy, stage writing
  • Sissy Zhou, Gu Zheng (ancient Chinese zither), vocals
Alla Madonna: Compositoras del Seicento Sacro.

17/03/2026 20:30 CET

Alla Madonna: Compositoras del Seicento Sacro. On-site

MUSACE (IV Festival de Música Sacra de Ceuta) Spain
Iglesia de nuestra Señora de África, Pl. de África, 51001 Ceuta
This programme traces a musical and spiritual journey around the figure of the Virgin Mary, through the female voices who composed in her name in 17th-century Italy. From cloistered convents to cultured salons, the composers
Musicians
  • DOLCE RIMA
  • Paula Brieba, theorbo
  • Julieta Viñas, soprano
J.S. Bach: Sonatas for viola da gamba and harpsichord

21/03/2026 19:30 EDT (22/03/2026 00:30 CET)

J.S. Bach: Sonatas for viola da gamba and harpsichord On-site

Les Bostonades United States
Emmanuel Church, 15 Newbury St., 02116 Boston
Longtime collaborators and friends Emily Walhout, viola da gamba, and Akiko Sato, harpsichord, celebrate Bach’s birthday with a concert of his three sonatas for viola da gamba and harpsichord.
Musicians
  • Emily Walhout, viola da gamba
  • Akiko Sato, harpsichord
Happy Birthday, Bach

22/03/2026 18:00 EET (22/03/2026 17:00 CET)

Happy Birthday, Bach On-site

National House of Music, National Philharmonic of Ukraine, Open Opera Ukraine Ukraine
National Philharmonic of Ukraine, Volodymyrsky Uzviz, 2, 01001 Kyiv
Motets by J.S. Bach and Maksym Berezovsky. Connecting European heritage with the revival of Ukrainian sacred repertoire. A festive concert and first glimpse of Kyiv Baroque Fest 2026, revealing its concept and programme highlights.
Musicians
  • Liatoshynskyi Capella: Choir
  • Nataliia Khmilevska, Kostiantyn Lenchyk – conductors
  • Natalia Fomenko – harpsichord, positive organ
  • Ihor Tarnovetskyi – theorbo
  • Tetiana Hrechanivska – cello
  • Dmytro Tretiak – double bass
  • B.A.CH. Baroque Amateur Choir, Open Opera Ukraine - guest performers
Nikolaus Harnoncourt's Händel – Messiah HWV 56

20/03/2026 14:30 CET

Nikolaus Harnoncourt's Händel – Messiah HWV 56 Online

Nikolaus Harnoncourt Zentrum Austria
Alice-Harnoncourt-Platz 1, 4040 Linz
This webinar open to a large public examins Harnoncourt's approach towards this masterpiece, his recordings, performances and university lectures through the material we find in his archive, as well as his conducting score. In English.
Musicians Claudia Stobrawa
Tenebrae factae sunt. A musical meditation for Holy Week.

14/03/2026 20:30 CET (14/03/2026 20:30 CET)

Tenebrae factae sunt. A musical meditation for Holy Week. Online and On-site

MUSICA MIRABILIS. International Musical Festival Giovanni Legrenzi - Clusone (Bergamo) Italy
Chiesa della Beata Vergine del Paradiso, Piazza del Paradiso , 24023 Clusone
The Responsorî della Settimana Santa, included in this program, are an unpublished work by the composer and organist Giovanni Salvatore (1611-1688) and are preserved in the Musical Archive of the Fathers of the Congregation Girolamini of Naples.
Musicians
  • Ensemble ‘Nova Ars Cantandi’
  • Alessandro Carmignani, soprano
  • Enrico Torre, alto
  • Gianluca Ferrarini, tenor
  • Marcello Vargtetto, bass
  • Ivana Valotti, organ
  • Giovanni Acciai, conductor
Giovanni Legrenzi (1626-1690): Compiete, opus VII

21/03/2026 20:00 CET (21/03/2026 20:00 CET)

Giovanni Legrenzi (1626-1690): Compiete, opus VII Online

MUSICA MIRABILIS. International Musical Festival Giovanni Legrenzi - Clusone (Bergamo) Italy
Chiesa della Beata Vergine del Paradiso, Piazza del Paradiso, 24023 Clusone
The Compiete con le Litanie by Giovanni Legrenzi, op. VII (Venice, 1662) in first contemporary performance, are a work of dazzling beauty, in which the word is exalted in all its expressive and affective force.
Musicians
  • Ensemble «Nova Ars Cantandi»
  • Alessandro Carmignani, cantus
  • Andrea Arrivabene, altus
  • Alberto Allegrezza, tenor
  • Gianluca Ferrarini, tenor
  • Marcello Vargetto, bassus
  • Ivana Valotti, organ
  • Giovanni Acciai, conductor
Vivaldi en piste

22/03/2026 16:00 CET

Vivaldi en piste On-site

Orchestre Le Palais royal France
Le Cirque d'Hiver, 110 rue Amelot, 75011 Paris
Following Mozart en piste in 2025, Le Palais Royal orchestra is creating a new family-friendly, interactive show that brings Vivaldi back to life, with an orchestra, eight singer-actors, staging, lighting and costumes.
Musicians
  • Emmanuel Daumas, stage director
  • Jean-Philippe Sarcos, conductor
  • Tanaquil Olivier, soprano
  • Hermione Bernard, soprano
  • Charlotte Mercier, mezzo-soprano
  • Fernando Escalona, countertenor
  • Blaise Rantoanina, tenor
  • Clément Debieuvre, tenor
  • Matthieu Toulouse, baritone
  • Halidou Nombre, baritone
Le Jeu de Robin et Marion

29/03/2026 18:00 CEST

Le Jeu de Robin et Marion On-site

Abbaye de Fontfroide / CIMM France
Route départementale 613, 11100 Narbonne
The Game of Robin and Marion was written in 1280 by the troubadour Adam de la Halle and is sometimes considered the first Western musical.
Musicians
  • Bruno Bonhoure, musical direction, vocals, psaltery
  • Khaï-Dong Luong, research, dramaturgy, stage writing
  • Clémence Montagne, vocals
  • Sissy Zhou, Gu Zheng (ancient Chinese zither), vocals
  • Stéphanie Petibon, lute, group vocals
  • Ronaldo Lopes, theorbo, group vocals
CONFERENCE ON THE RECORDER BY ETIENNE HOLMBLAT

28/03/2026 16:30 CET

CONFERENCE ON THE RECORDER BY ETIENNE HOLMBLAT On-site

Conservatoire à Rayonnement Régional Pau Béarn Pyrénées France
Rue des Réparatrices, 64000 PAU
Etienne Holmblat is a recorder maker based in Bosdarros. He is one of a very small group of French makers of period instruments. He made his first recorder in 1985.
Musicians

Etienne Holmblat

Bach's Johannespassion BWV 245 by Nikolaus Harnoncourt

21/03/2026 10:00 CET

Bach's Johannespassion BWV 245 by Nikolaus Harnoncourt Online

Nikolaus Harnoncourt Zentrum Austria
Anton Bruckner Privatuniversität, Alice-Harnoncourt-Platz 1, 4040 Linz
Happy Birthday Johann Sebastian! Bach‘s Johannespassion / St. John’s Passion BWV245 was one of the milestones in Nikolaus Harnoncourt's work – pioneer of the early music movement.
Musicians Nikolaus Harnoncourt, Concentus Musicus Wien
Public rehearsal

19/03/2026 19:00 CET

Public rehearsal On-site

Assoc Ars Musica - Ensemble Arianna - Les Muses en Dialogue France
Eglise Ste Croix de Celleneuve , 34080 MONTPELLIER
Ars Vocalis (the vocal art division of the Arianna Ensemble) is rehearsing its tribute programme to Joël Pons, the ensemble's long-standing cellist who tragically passed away in May 2025. The concert will take place on 17 May 2026 in Montpellier.
Musicians
  • Marie-Paule Nounou: musical and educational director
The Gleam International Early Music Festival — España 400

01/03/2026 10:30 CST (01/03/2026 03:30 CET)

The Gleam International Early Music Festival — España 400 On-site

The Gleam Ensemble Taiwan
Taipei, No. 21-1, Zhongshan South Road, Zhongzheng District, , 10048 Taipei City
Rather than reconstructing history solely from documents, this programme approaches the past through its soundscape, questioning what daily life might have been like for the people who lived, worked, traded, celebrated and mourned their dead on this island.
Musicians Ya Nong Huang
The Gleam International Early Music Festival - “La Spagna” x Capella de Ministrers

18/03/2026 19:30 CST (18/03/2026 12:30 CET)

The Gleam International Early Music Festival - “La Spagna” x Capella de Ministrers On-site

The Gleam Ensemble Taiwan
Taipei National Performence Hall, English Address: No. 21-1, Zhongshan South Road, Zhongzheng District, , 10048 Taipei City
In the mid-fifteenth century, Portugal was the first European power to break through the perceived limits of the known world. The immense wealth generated by maritime exploration soon prompted other European nations to shift their focus from overland commerce.
Musicians Capella de Ministrers
Thelma Handy and the Liverpool String Academy

01/04/2026 19:00 BST (01/04/2026 20:00 CEST)

Thelma Handy and the Liverpool String Academy On-site

Early Music As Education (EMAE) United Kingdom
The Tung Auditorium, 60 Oxford Street, L7 3NY Liverpool
Early Music as Education's (EMAE) Liverpool String Academy joins forces with Thelma Handy, leader of the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, for an exquisite performance of music from leading Baroque composers.
Musicians
  • Thelma Handy, leader of the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, soloist
  • Early Music as Education's (EMAE) Liverpool String Academy, Orchestra
Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA). Neither the European Union nor EACEA can be held responsible for them.
REMA is funded with support from the French Ministry of Culture.