Festival de l’Été Mosan turns 50: a summer of music and heritage along the Meuse

From 12 July to 30 August 2026, Festival de l’Été Mosan celebrates its 50th edition with 17 concerts in 17 exceptional heritage sites along the Meuse valley, from Dinant to Maredsous via Namur, Hastière, Floreffe and more. A true summer classic in Wallonia, the festival invites audiences on a musical road trip through the Mosan landscape, mixing early music, chamber music, repertoire favourites and more unexpected detours.

For half a century, l’Été Mosan has built its identity on a simple but powerful idea: bring artists and audiences together in spaces that already carry stories, memories and emotions. This 50th anniversary edition keeps that spirit alive, while opening the doors wide to anyone who wants to experience classical music without dress codes, gatekeeping or snobbery.

Opening in Dinant with Mozart under the arches

As tradition goes, the opening concert takes place in the Collegiate Church of Notre-Dame in Dinant on 12 July. The vocal and instrumental ensemble a nocte temporis, led by tenor Reinoud Van Mechelen, will dedicate its programme to Mozart, with a blend of concert arias and flute concertos that sets the tone for a refined yet accessible festival.

It’s the kind of setting where the music doesn’t just happen “on stage”: it fills the nave, bounces off the stone and resonates differently for every listener, whether it’s their first classical concert or one more in a long list. Here, you can show up with your curiosity first and your wardrobe second.

Chamber music, early music and big emotions

Chamber music and early music remain the two main pillars of the festival. Across the summer, audiences will hear the Trio Zadig, Joshua Brown and Élodie Vignon, the Quatuor Zaïde, Valère Burnon surrounded by friends, the Trio Electrum and pianist Beatrice Berrut with her recital Fantasmagorie. On the programme: pages by Boulanger, Mendelssohn, Schumann, Brahms, Dvořák, Fauré and Shostakovich – music that leans fully into drama, tenderness, melancholy and joy.

For many queer listeners, classical music has often been presented as a space “for others”, coded and closed. L’Été Mosan offers a different experience: small‑scale formats, intimate venues, close proximity to the artists and a summer atmosphere that invites people to come as they are – solo, with friends, with chosen family, dressed up or dressed down.

Detours, dreams and Mediterranean echoes

True to its open‑minded spirit, the festival also offers several “side paths” for those who like their repertoire with a twist. The trio La Soubirane brings Mediterranean Marian chants, weaving sacred and folk traditions into a vocal ritual that feels both ancient and surprisingly close. The duo Zefiro Torna presents Somnia, an oneiric journey that blurs the lines between early music, storytelling and soundscape.

With Madre Selva, Diana Baroni and Ensemble Vedado draw connections between Latin America, the Caribbean and Europe, exploring how music travels, transforms and survives across borders. In Namur, the church of Saint‑Loup becomes the stage for a dialogue between its two organs, played by Jean‑Luc Ho and Yoann Moulin – a conversation in pipes and registers that turns the building itself into a living instrument.

Closing at Maredsous: dreams between centuries

The festival closes on 30 August at the Abbey of Maredsous with the Huelgas Ensemble, conducted by Paul Van Nevel, in a programme inspired by The Dream of Poliphilo. It’s a final rendez‑vous under the sign of beauty and reverie, where voices and architecture merge to create something both timeless and fleeting.

This 50th edition is less about nostalgia and more about transmission: how music, places and communities keep talking to each other across decades. Whether you are a die‑hard early music fan, a chamber music nerd or simply curious to discover the Mosan heritage in a different way, the festival offers plenty of entry points – and zero requirement to know your Baroque from your Brahms before you walk in.

Practical info

Festival de l’Été Mosan
12 July → 30 August 2026

Full programme, venues and tickets: etemosan.be

The ticketing offers passes for 3, 5 or 10 concerts, reduced fares for 26–35 year‑olds and under‑26 audiences, and free access for children under 12 on selected formulas. More than a luxury night out, it’s an invitation to make classical and early music part of your summer routine.

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