Saintes Festival of Ancient Music

Saintes Festival of Ancient Music

Mid-July

Saintes, an ancient Roman city about 16 miles inland from the Atlantic coast of southwest France, is the setting for a week-long festival of medieval and Renaissance music in July. Concerts are held in some of the town's most famous sites, including Abbaye aux Dames, built in the 11th century, and St. Eutrope Church, with its ancient Roman crypts.
Although the artists who perform there are not always as well known as those who perform at the Festival of International Contemporary Arts, which takes place at the same time only 40 miles away in La Rochelle, performers at Saintes have included the Ensemble Vocal and Instrumental of Nantes, the Ensemble Polyphonique de Paris, and Le Collectif de Musique Ancienne de Paris. For music lovers whose tastes span the centuries, the combination of the two festivals is ideal.

CONTACTS:
Saintes Tourism Office
Ville Musso, 62, cours National - BP 96
Saintes, Charente-Maritime, 17103 France
33-5-4674-2382; fax: 33-5-4692-1701
www.ot-saintes.fr/gbsainteshistorique.htm

SOURCES:
MusFestEurBrit-1980, p. 89