The 2024 Festival, entitled French Connexions, focuses on French baroque music and its considerable influence on composers throughout Europe at that time. The music of the French Baroque is distinguished by many little differences in musical preference, style, ornamentation and instrumentation.

The Festival opens on Friday, 11 October in Brecon Cathedral with Welcome to all the Pleasures, an evening with Rachel Podger, Brecon Baroque, Brecon Baroque Festival Choir plus guests soloists, all directed by Eric Milnes. The world-class line-up on soloists includes sopranos Joanne Lunn and Héloïse Bernard, counter-tenor Robin Blaze, tenor Jorge Navarro-Colorado and baritone Greg Skidmore. The concert features music by Charpentier, Telemann, Purcell and Couperin - it promises to be a festival opener at its best.

On Saturday evening in Theatr Brycheiniog, we have the title concert, French Connexions, with Rachel Podger, Brecon Baroque and guest soloists including Katy Bircher (flute), Mélisande Corriveau (viola da gamba), Jadran Duncumb (lute) and Marcin Swiatkiewicz (harpsichord). Featured composers include Jean Philippe Rameau, Henry Purcell, Elisabéth Jacquet de la Guerre, Marin Marais, JS Bach and Georg Philipp Telemann.

On Sunday evening, Mélisande Corriveau and Eric Milnes perform Pardessus in Paradise with French music (plus JS Bach!) for the highest member of the viol family - the pardessus de viole (also known as The Woman’sViolin).

On Monday evening Rachel Podger directs Brecon Baroque Festival Orchestra and Brecon Baroque for the Festival’s grand finale, Pot-Pourri, with music by Muffat, Corelli, Lully, Handel, Vivaldi and Purcell. Members of South Powys Youth Music join in to give their annual showcase performance.

Following their success last year, the main concerts are sandwiched together by two slightly more relaxed, Lunchtime Chamber Concerts at the Plough Chapel. On Saturday, Jadran Duncumb and Alex Rolton will perform three of JS Bach’s beautiful Cello Suites on cello, lute and 5-string cello and on Monday, Amsterdam-based ensemble, Pont Baroque, founded and directed by welsh cellist Osian Jones, make their festival debut. These are complemened by an Organ Recital by Andrew Wilson-Dickson at Brecon Cathedral on Sunday afternoon.

We have extended the programme of talks this year to include pre-concert talks by Dr Keith Chapin (Cardiff University, School of Music) on Friday and Saturday evenings. In addition, there will be three talks at The Tithe Barn in Brecon Cathedral Close - Cornelia Rahdes gives a talk about Élisabeth Jacquet de La Guerre on Saturday afternoon, and on Sunday, we have Dr Lucy Robinson on For the Love of the Viol in the morning and Tim Richards giving a talk about Bows and bow-making in the afternoon. At Y Gaer Museum and Gallery, artist Tim Rossiter gives a tour and talk about his exhibition, Ceridwen and Gwion Bach on Saturday morning, and Y Gaer’s assistant curator, Jacquie Morgan gives a short tour the Museum’s stunning collection on Monday morning.

There will pre-concert meal deals offered by The Hours and Theatr Brycheiniog Cafe. We also see the return of The Muse, a festival base to eat and drink, hear live music and enjoy the artwork created as part of our community projects with Accessibility Powys and The Rhydd.

We look forward to welcoming you in October.