The 2026 Festival's Theme
Prima ! La Donna
Prima! La donna – “First the woman” – is, easy guess, a play on the term prima donna, a phrase coined in 17th-century Italy. Well, right on cue, the Concert de l’Hostel-Dieu with Blandine de Sansal will revive the operatic repertoire of a Prima donna from Vivaldi’s close entourage. But such women do not just sing! They also hold “salons” as illustrated, this time in England, by La Rêveuse with B. Perrot and F. Bolton, like all these women who brought together the elite of their country.
In Europe, they are also composers, as demonstrated by the ensemble Toccata e fuga and also the Opéra Royal de Versailles under the direction of Sophie de Bardonnèche and Justin Taylor, along with the excellent soloists who will be performing on both evenings.
But, far from the public eye, they also excel in the intimate sphere, a many-faceted mystery explored for us by Héloïse Gaillard’s ensemble Amarillis, and in great detail, since the ensemble will be performing two short concerts during the Musical promenades.
Little by little, we will travel back through the centuries with the ensemble Contre le temps, which asks the medieval question ubi sunt mulieres, “where are the women?”, a wonderful title that brings to mind Hildegard of Bingen, both a composer and a Doctor of the Church.
But in the spiritual realm, they are also, ancient knowledge, prothetesses, as sung by Camera Chromatica in Les prophéties des Sibylles by Renaissance composer Roland de Lassus.
We are also delighted to welcome Les Barbarins Fourchus, with their joyful and dynamic programme. Not only are they are bringing musical creativity to Saint-Michel-de-Maurienne and Valloire, but their initiatives aimed at children are building tomorrow’s audience.
Gaël de Kerret, Directeur artistique
Gaël de Kerret has roamed Europe for about fifteen years, from one festival or radio station to another, all the while releasing a good twenty recordings of Early music (A Sei Voci, Clemencic Consort) as well as contemporary works (2E2M, TM+, Groupe Vocal de France, Orchestre Philarmonique de Radio-France…). He sings at La Fenice in Venice, at the Musikverein in Vienna, at the Utrecht festival, the Montpellier festival, at Radio-France, at IRCAM, or other prestigious venues, or again within the Union européenne des Radios, with such renowned conductors as Philippe Herreweghe, Jean-Claude Pennetier or Jean-Claude Malgoire. In 1997, he directs the Children’s Choir of the Paris National Opera House for a series of ten concerts and a recording. He is Director of Les Cours Européennes, a Baroque ensemble, and now also, Artistic Director of the Festival Valloire baroque, ever since its creation. A passionate pedagogue, he is Senior Professor and teaches singers on their way to professional careers at the Versailles Conservatoire à Rayonnement Régional.
