The Pontoise Baroque Festival returns for its 40th edition

What if you were to step back in time, to the heart of a candlelit Baroque concert? Under the vaulted ceiling of a church, in a theater with hushed acoustics, or in the discreet charm of a Valdois village, the Festival Baroque de Pontoise invites itself into your autumn and spring, from September 27 to December 6, 2025, then from January 10 to June 6, 2026.

As the leaves fall or the first rays warm the ancient stones, musical works from the XVIIᵉ and XVIIIᵉ centuries rediscover their full intensity. Crystalline voices, ancient instruments, choreographic or poetic staging: each performance offers a journey through the ages, where the arts dialogue without borders.

An anniversary edition between fidelity and reinvention

Created in 1986 by the association Les Amis de l'Orgue Notre-Dame, the Pontoise Baroque Festival has forged a solid reputation in the French cultural landscape. For this 40ᵉ edition, it continues its founding ambition: to enhance the Baroque repertoire by opening it up to dance, theater, poetry and a wide diversity of cultures. Internationally renowned artists, as well as emerging ensembles, appropriate works by Purcell, Monteverdi, Handel or Bach, confronting them with contemporary creations in a redesigned staging.

This new edition promises to be a multi-faceted itinerant affair, with concerts and performances organized in over a dozen communes in the Val d'Oise: Pontoise, Cergy, Jouy-le-Moutier, Asnières-sur-Oise, and many others. Each venue has its own special ambience, combining architectural heritage and sound, for a complete sensory experience of Baroque music.

For those interested in history, living art and musical culture

Are you drawn to old-time music, hushed atmospheres and human-scale shows, or are you simply looking for a poetic and immersive interlude? This festival is for you. It's for families eager for cultural discoveries, couples in search of original outings, and groups of friends looking for unusual experiences. It's also a musical playground for the very young, and a source of inspiration for fans of the performing arts.

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On the other hand, if you prefer open-air, sound-dense festivals, or those geared towards contemporary music and festive atmospheres, this event may not be what you're looking for. Here, it's all about active listening, patient discovery and artistic immersion in complex, demanding works.

A season in two parts for a dialogue between the centuries

The festival is spread over two distinct seasons, with a first part in autumn, followed by a second part in winter-spring. This extended rhythm makes it possible to discover a rich program throughout the year, to follow an artistic thread and to return for several months to explore other forms and other sounds. Each period is conceived as an encounter between heritage and creation, between Baroque classicism and contemporary expressivity.

The strong support of the Val d'Oise department, which is devoting 9.6 million euros to culture in 2025, confirms the essential place the region gives to access to culture for all. By integrating this festival into a wider dynamic of artistic development, the département is encouraging dialogue between generations, cultural openness and territorial anchoring of artistic events.

Let yourself be carried away by the breath of cantatas, shiver to the rhythm of a sarabande, or contemplate the union of Baroque text and contemporary choreography. The Festival Baroque de Pontoise is an opportunity to rediscover the time of listening, to reconnect with a living heritage, and to cross the centuries through the arts. An invitation to curiosity and contemplation, to be experienced in the unique setting of the Val d'Oise.

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