Midis-Minimes 2026: 40 years of lunchtime music in the heart of Brussels

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Midis-Minimes 2026: 40 years of lunchtime music in the heart of Brussels

Intro
In 2026, the Midis-Minimes Festival celebrates its 40th anniversary and returns from 1 July to 28 August with a classical music concert every weekday at 12:15. For this anniversary edition, the festival spreads across three emblematic venues in central Brussels: the Cercle Royal Gaulois, Notre-Dame des Victoires au Sablon and the Salle M at Bozar, recently reopened after a long-awaited renovation.

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A short, demanding and open format

Since 1986, Midis-Minimes has defended a simple yet demanding idea: a short classical concert in the middle of the day, conceived as a moment of discovery open to different repertoires, periods and performers. Each year, the festival invites audiences to listen beyond their usual habits, mixing well-known works and rarer pieces.

In 2026, the programme spans a wide musical landscape, from the Middle Ages to contemporary creation, with a strong focus on chamber music and several concerts performed by larger ensembles. Each venue is programmed according to its architecture and acoustics: the intimacy of the Cercle Royal Gaulois, the resonance of the Sablon church, the renewed space of Salle M for bigger forces.

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From Charpentier to Mahler and Rachmaninov

The festival opens on 1 July with Actéon by Marc-Antoine Charpentier, performed by the ensemble Scherzi Musicali under the direction of Nicolas Achten. It is a way of grounding this 40th edition in the baroque repertoire that has long been part of the festival’s DNA.

Later in the summer, the Etesiane Orchestra, conducted by Gabriel Hollander, will perform Mahler’s Fourth Symphony, bringing late-romantic symphonic writing to the lunchtime format. The festival closes on 28 August with Rachmaninov’s Third Piano Concerto, performed by Xavier Locus with the Ensemble Orchestral de Bruxelles under Jacques Vanherenthals – a virtuosic and intense way to end two months of daily concerts.

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Belgian composers and a world premiere

Midis-Minimes also keeps a strong focus on Belgian composers, who are present throughout the 2026 programme. This year, works by Adolphe Biarent, Henriette Van den Boorm-Coclet, Claude Ledoux and Brecht Valckenaers are featured, reflecting different generations and aesthetics.

The festival also presents a world premiere: The Waves by David Aschenberg, to be performed on 29 July by Musicatreize under Roland Heyrabedian. For an event that started in 1986, it is a strong statement to continue commissioning and hosting new works alongside historical repertoire.

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Supporting emerging artists and welcoming major names

Midis-Minimes has always been a place where emerging artists can meet a curious and loyal audience. The 2026 edition continues this tradition by highlighting:

• the Duo Post Scriptum,
• the ensemble La Nébuleuse led by Gabriel Rignol,
• the horn players of the Korpus Kwartet,
• and the 15-year-old pianist Raffaello Giannini.

At the same time, the festival welcomes several established artists and ensembles:

• Claire-Marie Le Guay,
• Marc Danel and Gilles Millet,
• the Ricercar Consort,
• Emmanuelle Bertrand and Pascal Amoyel,
• the Trio Zadig,
• the Kapsber’girls,
• and a nocte temporis, the ensemble led by Reinoud Van Mechelen, which celebrates its 10th anniversary this year.

This balance between young artists and major names is one of the festival’s signatures: a place where you can discover tomorrow’s musicians and hear artists you already follow on bigger stages, all in a 45‑minute lunchtime slot.

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Themed weeks: pianos and string quartets

To help listeners navigate such a dense programme, some weeks are given a specific colour.

From 20 to 24 July, at the Cercle Royal Gaulois, the focus is on the piano, with recitals by Brecht Valckenaers, Marie Vermeulin, Valère Burnon and Julien Brocal. It’s a chance to hear different approaches to the instrument in the same setting across a single week.

From 17 August, at the Salle M of Bozar, the festival devotes a whole week to the string quartet, with five ensembles: Galilee Quartet, Naka Quartet, Desguin Kwartet, Quatuor Magenta and Emeraude Ensemble. For the first time, the first three quartets will also perform in Tournai as part of the new festival Les Midis du Quatuor, co-produced with Les Voix intimes, extending the Midis-Minimes spirit beyond Brussels.

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A long-term dialogue with Leuven

Since 2002, Midis-Minimes has also doubled some of its concerts in Leuven, in collaboration with 30CC, within the Zomer van Sint-Pieter festival. In 2026, this partnership celebrates its 25th edition, underlining how the lunchtime concert format has become a shared tradition between Brussels and Leuven.

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Practical information

Midis-Minimes Festival 2026

• Weekdays, from 1 July to 28 August 2026
• Time: 12:15

Venues (Brussels)

• Cercle Royal Gaulois
  Rue de la Loi 5, 1000 Brussels
• Église Notre-Dame des Victoires au Sablon
  Rue des Sablons, 1000 Brussels
• Bozar – Salle M
  Rue Ravenstein 23, 1000 Brussels

Programme, tickets and detailed information: midis-minimes.be

KET Magazine is a community‑driven, non‑profit magazine run by volunteers and based in Brussels. You can find our other culture and music stories on ket.brussels, and you can always write to us to share your projects or pitch a story: info@ket.brussels.