Early Music Agenda: concerts in the Netherlands and Flanders

Duo Kiasma

Fri, 25 Sep 2026 10:30:00 GMT

Tickets: €16

Flagey (Studio 1)

What could be more unexpected than the meeting of a cello and an accordion? A duo born in Namur that has gone on to conquer Venice, Luxembourg, Shanghai and Taipei. Through their creativity, modernity and virtuosity, Pierre Fontenelle and Frin Wolter have been surprising audiences for the past decade, exploring a borderless musical world where repertoires intersect, transform and reinvent themselves. Winners of First Prize at the Concours International Accordé’Opale and named Coup de Cœur at the Royal Juillet Musical de Saint-Hubert, Duo Kiasma stands out for the freedom and boldness of its arrangements that are neither faithful transcriptions nor simple adaptations. POLARIS marks a decisive milestone in this nomadic journey. Like the star from which it takes its name, the album serves as a guiding point within an ever-expanding aesthetic universe. The programme offers a captivating dialogue between the Baroque era and the modern music it inspired. Discover how a famous Bach cantata can be transformed into a Beatles hit, or how Villa-Lobos’s lyrical Cantilena can burst into more rock-inspired sonorities, alongside arrangements from Rameau’s operas.

La Tempête

Fri, 02 Oct 2026 18:00:00 GMT

Tickets: €30 – €50

Henry Le Boeuf Hall

The last time the French ensemble La Tempête visited Bozar, our concert hall was bathed in a golden glow and Stravinsky sparkled alongside De Machaut. This time, Simon-Pierre Bestion has his singers and musicians tackle Claudio Monteverdi’s colossal Vespro della Beata Vergine. Subtle scenography transforms the Vespers into a unique concert experience. When he composed the piece in 1613, Monteverdi had his heart set on the job of maestro di cappella in Venice. This application letter for the post reads like the culmination of the church music of his time, written under the spell of the marble and mosaics of St Mark’s Basilica.

Logan Lopez Gonzalez

Sun, 11 Oct 2026 09:00:00 GMT

Tickets: €16

Henry Le Boeuf Hall

A close affinity exists between the English Baroque repertoire and twentieth-century British art songs. Dowland continues to haunt Britten. Purcell permeates the work of Ireland and Warlock like an ancient light filtered through the frosted glass of time. This is the starting point for Songs in the Mirror: not a chronological journey, but a dialogue between two eras. Countertenor Logan Lopez Gonzalez joins I Solisti at Bozar in January for an immersive concert, but for this Concert Croissant, he shares the stage with lutenist and guitarist Léa Masson for a more intimate gathering.

TrioFenix

Fri, 16 Oct 2026 10:30:00 GMT

Tickets: €16

Flagey (Studio 1)

Three hundred years after the birth of the first performer of Bach’s Goldberg Variations, the Belgian TrioFenix presents this masterpiece in a crystal-clear arrangement for string trio.

Thibaut Garcia & Antoine Morinière

Tue, 20 Oct 2026 18:15:00 GMT

Tickets: €28

Flagey (Studio 4)

The Goldberg Variations as you have never heard them before: two exceptional guitarists present their own arrangement of Bach’s masterpiece.

Vlaams Radiokoor & I Solisti

Tue, 27 Oct 2026 18:15:00 GMT

Tickets: €20

Flagey (Studio 4)

“Ma musique est mon portrait." In 1943, an aircraft dropped thousands of copies of Paul Éluard's poem Liberté over occupied France. In secret, Francis Poulenc composed his cantata Figure Humaine, a powerful ode to liberation. In 1946, the choir of the public broadcaster NIR — the predecessor of the Vlaams Radiokoor — premiered this cantata during a special broadcast on ‘Sender Brüssel,’ which had just been liberated from Nazi control. Exactly 80 years later, the Vlaams Radiokoor performs the work once again in the very place it was created: the former broadcasting house, Flagey. The audience is invited to join the performers on the stage of the iconic Studio 4 for a unique and intimate musical portrait of Francis Poulenc — ‘Poupoule’ to his friends. Together with I SOLISTI, the Radiokoor introduces you to the man himself: his kaleidoscopic oeuvre, his colorful personality, and his many unexpected musical ties to Belgium. All of this topped off with his wonderfully surrealist Le Bal Masqué.

Les Muffatti & Anthony Romaniuk | Bozar Brussels

Thu, 29 Oct 2026 18:30:00 GMT

Tickets

Bozar Brussel

The concert series Echoes of Brussels hops back and forth along the capital’s timeline, highlighting memorable creations and residents. The ensemble Les Muffatti, for example, takes us back to the eighteenth century. Pieter van Maldere’s association Le Concert Bourgeois, inspired by the Parisian Concert Spirituel, played an important role in spreading music in Brussels, then the capital of the Austrian Netherlands. During its heyday, the association witnessed a veritable musical evolution, from the late Baroque of Henri-Jacques de Croes to Joseph Haydn’s classicism, by way of the pre-classical composers Pieter van Maldere and Ignaz Vitzthumb and the tempestuous Sturm und Drang of Johann Stamitz.

Echoes Across the Atlantic — Apollo’s Fire & Jeanine de Bique

Wed, 18 Nov 2026 18:00:00 GMT

Tickets: €30 – €50

Bozar

Recital Jeanine De Bique, artist in residence in Brussels this season, joins the Grammy-winning ensemble Apollo’s Fire and conductor Jeannette Sorrell to explore the historical connections between Europe and the Caribbean colonies in the eighteenth century. Across the waters, tales of love, despair and resilience emerge – with surprising resonance for today. A suite from Handel ’s masterful Agrippina (1709) leads to a Caribbean funeral oration of the same year, lamenting the murder of an enslaved man by the plantation owner. A thrilling orchestral suite by Rameau and his flirtatious ‘Air de la Folie – Aux langueurs d’Apollon’ from Platée explodes into a joyous Creole wedding. And the virtuoso music of Vivaldi, Purcell and Lully meets the soulful voices of Caribbean poets in this celebration of our shared humanity.

ClubMediéval - Dionysos Now!

Sun, 06 Dec 2026 15:30:00 GMT

Tickets: €32

St-Jacques sur Coudenberg / St Jacob op Koudenberg

The concert series Echoes of Brussels jumps back and forth along the capital’s timeline, focusing on memorable creations and residents. From the fifteenth century onwards, the Coudenberg Palace was a hotbed of stories, art and ambition. Almost 300 years after the fire that reduced the Burgundian court to ashes, music can once again rise from the ruins. In the sixteenth century, the building was the beating heart of Emperor Charles V’s global empire. He often resided in Brussels before his abdication in 1555. ClubMediéval performs music in the ruins of the Coudenberg that Charles himself may well have heard, while Dionysos Now! presents a broader tribute to the vibrant musical life surrounding the court in the Coudenberg Church, featuring polyphony by composers such as Johannes Ghiselin, Pedro Ruimonte and Thomas Cecquillon. Together, the two concerts paint a vivid portrait of the Coudenberg: from a modest court chapel to an international musical nexus. One ticket is valid for both concerts. There will be enough time to move between venues. When booking, please select either concert series 1 (concerts at 5.30 pm & 7 pm) or concert series 2 (concerts at 7 pm & 8.30 pm). ClubMediéval in the ruins of the Coudenberg Palace: Karolus, The soul on which the moon never sets Music by Jonás Bisquert, Pierre de la Rue, Tielman Susato, anonima from cancioneros de Palacio y Elvas Jonatan Alvarado, tenor Ariel Abramovich, luth & vihuela Thomas Baeté, viola Isaline Claeys, dramaturgy Dionysos Now! in the Coudenberg Church: Fortunae meae, non mihi Music by Crispinus van Stappen, Johannes Ghiselin, Pedro Ruimonte, Adriaan Willaert, Peter Philips, Thomas Crecquillon

Cecilia Bartoli & Les Musiciens du Prince - Monaco

Wed, 09 Dec 2026 18:00:00 GMT

Tickets: €62 – €152

Henry Le Boeuf Hall

The mere mention of Cecilia Bartoli ’s name evokes her impressive stage presence, exquisite coloratura and controlled intensity. The Italian mezzo-soprano has explored Baroque, bel canto and classical masterpieces for over forty years. At Bozar, she performs alongside Les Musiciens du Prince – Monaco, the ensemble she co-founded, and the choir Il Canto di Orfeo. They present Celestial Harmonies – Music from Heaven and Earth, a musical journey between the spiritual and terrestrial.

Cappella Mediterranea & Nederlands Kamerkoor

Fri, 18 Dec 2026 18:00:00 GMT

Tickets: €28 – €66

Henry Le Boeuf Hall

There are certain traditional features of the holiday season: presents to open, glasses to raise and Mariah Carey. The Christmas Oratorio (BWV 248) by Johann Sebastian Bach is another firm tradition. Bach wrote the six parts of the oratorio when he was cantor in Leipzig, to be performed between Christmas 1734 and Epiphany 1735. True to form, he recycled older compositional material, and as in the Ascension Oratorio, we hear a narrator (Andreas Wolf) and an evangelist (Valerio Contaldo). The soprano Sophie Junker brings extra light in her arias. Expect a Christmas atmosphere with all the trimmings, including jubilant choirs, exuberant trumpets and even an emotional lullaby (sung by the countertenor Christopher Lowrey). Leonardo García-Alarcón conducts the Nederlands Kamerkoor with the acclaimed Cappella Mediterranea.

Freiburger Barockorchester & Jeanine De Bique

Sun, 10 Jan 2027 17:00:00 GMT

Tickets: €28 – €66

Henry Le Boeuf Hall

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart wrote his last three symphonies in a great tidal wave of creative energy in 1788. The foaming crests of that wave are not just an encapsulation of his talent, but also of the history of symphonic music until that time. Sorrow and sensuality are intertwined throughout Symphony no. 40 – in the dramatic key of G minor – whereas the fundamental key of C major predicts the epic nature of Symphony no. 41. The Freiburger Barockorchester, which has made the authentic performance of 18th century music its speciality, is certain to rise to the occasion. Portrait artist Jeanine De Bique joins them with a selection of arias from Mozart’s timeless operas, a repertoire that holds few secrets for the Trinidadian soprano.

Mozart

Sun, 10 Jan 2027 17:00:00 GMT

Tickets: €28 – €66

Bozar

Concert Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart wrote his last three symphonies in a great tidal wave of creative energy in 1788. The foaming crests of that wave encapsulate not only his talent, but also the history of symphonic music until that time. Sorrow and sensuality are intertwined throughout Symphony No. 40 – in the dramatic key of G minor – whereas the fundamental key of C major predicts the epic nature of his final ‘Jupiter’ Symphony. The Freiburger Barockorchester, which has made the authentic performance of eighteenth-century music its speciality, is certain to rise to the occasion. Jeanine De Bique, artist in residence in Brussels this season, joins them with a selection of arias from Mozart’s timeless operas, a repertoire that holds few secrets for the Trinidadian soprano.

Les Talens Lyriques & Christophe Rousset

Thu, 21 Jan 2027 18:00:00 GMT

Tickets: €34 – €58

Henry Le Boeuf Hall

Pergolesi’s Stabat Mater is a work that still effortlessly moves audiences. The Neapolitan composer completed the piece shortly before his death at the age of 26. It is an unusually poignant evocation of Mary’s suffering as she mourns her son Jesus. Pergolesi alternates flagrant dissonances and peaceful harmonies with consummate skill. Led by the renowned conductor and harpsichord player Christophe Rousset, Les Talens Lyriques also breathes new life into moving compositions by Leonardo Leo and Giovanni Battista Ferrandini. In this gorgeous music, the countertenor Key’mon W. Murrah and mezzo-soprano Irina Sherazadishvili reveal themselves as rising stars.

Collegium Vocale Gent & Herreweghe

Sun, 31 Jan 2027 17:00:00 GMT

Tickets: €28 – €66

Henry Le Boeuf Hall

Johann Sebastian Bach composed, or rather ‘compiled’ his masterly Mass in B Minor at the end of his life. Without question, it is one of his most ambitious compositions, which might well be seen as his musical will and testament: the work is a compendium of many different musical genres and styles, sometimes referring to earlier compositions, the oldest of which date from 1724 and 1733. From the dramatic opening to the moving Kyrie and jubilant Gloria, Bach creates an especially evocative mass. Who better than Philippe Herreweghe and the unsurpassed Collegium Vocale Gent to distil every last drop of depth and intensity from this sublime masterpiece?

Pleasantly Haunted — Emily D'Angelo

Thu, 04 Feb 2027 18:00:00 GMT

Tickets: €12 – €45

De Munt

Recital Song, music, tales, and poetry, from the Middle Ages to the present day An invisible thread connects the troubadours and trobairitz of the Middle Ages to today’s singer songwriters: centuries of melodic echoes and a shared tradition of storytelling through music. Named Opera Singer of the Year 2025 at the prestigious Opus Klassik awards, mezzo-soprano Emily D’Angelo draws on this heritage to create an original recital, dedicated in particular to the works of Henry Purcell, John Dowland, the Countess of Dia and Adrian Ira. As she engages in dialogue with a piano and electric guitar, she is bound to leave you … pleasantly haunted. With a Songs season ticket, invite someone for free to your three favourite Song evenings at La Monnaie this season.

Pygmalion & Raphaël Pichon

Sun, 28 Feb 2027 17:00:00 GMT

Tickets: €34 – €58

Henry Le Boeuf Hall

At the beginning of the 17th century, all the composers in Germany wanted to return to the Italian source: Venice. The sound architecture of the city and the triumph of polyphony cast its light far into Lutheran territory. But the Thirty Years’ War broke that dynamic. German expression became more intimate, as in Schütz ’ Kleine Geistliche Konzerte, the descendants of Italian motets for solo voice and continuo. The Parisian baroque ensemble Pygmalion brings the quintessential German and Italian masters together for a large ensemble, under the banner of VERTIGO: Praetorius, Scheidt, Monteverdi and Cavalli respond to each other in a play of echoes where polyphony culminates in jubilation, exuberance and sensuality. In short, expect a celebration of the fusion that shaped European music.

Ensemble Irini

Tue, 16 Mar 2027 18:30:00 GMT

Tickets: €32

Hall Horta ·Bozar

When Constantinople fell in 1453, Guillaume Dufay and the Byzantine composer Manuel Chrysaphes each composed a poignant lament on opposite sides of the Mediterranean. In Janua, the adventurous Ensemble Irini links these two distinct musical worlds and takes you on a journey through a unique and little-known period: the final attempt to unite East and West in the fifteenth century. Under the direction of Lila Hajosi, the ensemble weaves its way between Dufay’s monumental motets and Byzantine musical treasures by Chrysaphes and Iannis Plousiadenos. Supported by the inspiring sound of medieval trumpets and Baroque trombones, they bring the past vividly to life.

Jeanine De Bique & Island Chamber Orchestra

Sat, 17 Apr 2027 18:00:00 GMT

Tickets: €32

Hall M

Our featured artist Jeanine De Bique grew up in Trinidad and Tobago, where Bach and Handel were ever-present in Anglican church services. At the same time, she learned at school about the beauty of folk music traditions: Caribbean songs that capture everyday life and serve as a history in their own right. In an age of increasing individualization, the soprano wishes to use her voice to preserve these ancestral stories, because they shape who we are today. “We must continue to recognize how closely our worlds are connected, even if they seem far apart,” says De Bique. A selection of some fifteen Caribbean folk songs is paired with a Baroque aria expressing the same emotion or evoking a similar character. The Island Chamber Orchestra accompanies De Bique.

Huelgas Ensemble & Paul Van Nevel

Thu, 13 May 2027 18:00:00 GMT

Tickets: €38

Cathédrale St-Michel / St.-Michielskathedraal

Notre-Dame began to rise above the streets of Paris around 1200. This architectural masterpiece continues to amaze, but a true revolution was also underway in the musical sphere thanks to the pioneering work of the Notre-Dame school. Composers developed ‘organum’: a technique in which multiple voices move simultaneously above a Gregorian chant – a radical shift at a time when monophonic music was the norm. Alongside several daring and complex works by the former Notre-Dame choir masters Leoninus and Perotinus, the renowned Huelgas Ensemble, celebrated for its historical precision and stylistic affinity, performs a selection of polyphonic chants by anonymous composers.

Organ Night

Wed, 19 May 2027 16:00:00 GMT

Tickets: €28

Cathédrale St-Michel / St.-Michielskathedraal

Organ Night sees a selection of leading organists fill the cathedral with spellbinding performances. Using repetition as a recurring theme, they showcase the instrument’s almost infinite richness – from the drones and flowing arpeggios of modern and contemporary repertoire to the ostinatos and canons of early music. Infinity Gradient by Tristan Perich provides an unforgettable finale. The American composer places a hundred homemade 1-bit speakers opposite the organ, creating a colourful and transcendent duet.

a nocte temporis & Reinoud Van Mechelen

Wed, 26 May 2027 18:00:00 GMT

Tickets: €22 – €42

Henry Le Boeuf Hall

Ich habe genug is one of J.S. Bach ’s most moving cantatas. “I have enough,” said the elderly Simeon as he cradled the infant Jesus. He would not die until he saw the Messiah with his own eyes. A nocte temporis and Reinoud Van Mechelen perform Bach’s arrangement for soprano and flute, which he composed for his wife Anna Magdalena. Less well known, but no less moving, are the cantata Meine Seele rühmt und preist [My Soul Extols and Praises] by Melchior Hoffmann – long attributed to Bach – and Ich armer Mensch, ich Sündenknecht [I, Wretched Man, a Slave to Sin], Bach’s only solo cantata for tenor. Bach’s Orchestral Suite No. 2 follows, in which flautist Anna Besson demonstrates all her virtuosity and lightness, particularly in the renowned ‘Badinerie’. A dynamic programme that will leave you wanting more.