Cordes en Ballade Festival 2026: chamber music across Ardèche, 7-19 July

There is a festival in Ardèche that doesn’t invade cities but slips into villages — into cathedrals, medieval crypts, hanging castle gardens, town hall courtyards and Romanesque abbeys. It’s the Cordes en Ballade Festival, and it returns for its 27th edition from 7 to 19 July 2026. A discreet but extraordinarily beautiful event that many of our Mas Saint Antoine guests discover with a mix of surprise and wonder.

The cherry on top: three concerts of the 2026 programme take place in Bourg-Saint-Andéol itself — the Mas’s own village. The Brasil! concert and the free closing concerts are a 5-minute walk from the estate.

What is the Cordes en Ballade Festival?

Cordes en Ballade is the project of the Les Éclisses association and the Quatuor Debussy: for over 25 years, they have travelled across Ardèche each July to bring chamber music to places an ordinary concert hall never reaches. Over twenty partner communes host concerts in historic monuments, castles, abbeys and Protestant churches — settings that turn every concert into a unique experience.

The festival is itinerant by nature: no central hall, no main stage. Instead, each concert creates its own atmosphere in a venue chosen for its beauty and history. Music in dialogue with stone, architecture and the Ardèche landscape.

For 2026, the festival has opened to new influences with the participation of the Filarmónica Joven de Colombia — Colombian musicians crossing the Atlantic to bring their energy and Latin repertoire to Ardèche villages. An unexpected and delightful addition.

2026 programme: the highlights

Opening week (7-10 July)

• Tuesday 7 July at 9 pm — Viviers, Saint-Vincent Cathedral: Concert ¡Viva la música! with Adélaïde Ferrière and the Filarmónica Joven de Colombia. An exceptional opening night in the cathedral of Ardèche’s oldest city.
• Tuesday 7 July at 9 pm — Saint-Remèze, Saint-Rémy Church: Echo concert with the Quatuor Isar (saxophones) — 15 min from the Mas.
• Thursday 9 July at 9 pm — Cruas, Abbatiale Sainte-Marie: Alfonsina with the Solistes de Cappella Mediterranea. The Romanesque abbey of Cruas is one of Ardèche’s finest monuments.
• Friday 10 July at 8 pm — Vogüé, Château hanging garden: Echo concert with the Quatuor Isar. Stunning views over the Ardèche river from the medieval castle gardens.

Friday 10 July at 9 pm — BOURG-SAINT-ANDÉOL, Cloître de la Cascade

The concert not to miss for Mas guests: Brasil! with the Debussy(s) (string quartet) at the Cloître de la Cascade in Bourg-Saint-Andéol. Brazilian music, string quartet, medieval cloister as backdrop — and Mas Saint Antoine a 5-minute walk away. An evening that ends naturally with a stroll back to the estate.

Middle week (11-16 July)

• Sunday 12 July — Viviers, Town Hall: Exceptional day with three concerts by the Debussy(s) duos at 11 am, 3 pm and 6 pm. Day Pass available at €40.
• Monday 13 July at 9 pm — Villeneuve-de-Berg: Les Sucreries with the Ensemble Alkymia, baroque music.
• Tuesday 14 July at 9 pm — Lagorce, La Crypte: Tango en trio with El Chino, Diego Kvitko and Franco Luciani. Argentine tango in an Ardèche crypt on Bastille Day evening — unexpected and magnificent.
• Thursday 16 July at 9 pm — Aubenas: Nuit Argentine with Mandy Lerouge, the Debussy(s), Fleurs Noires and the Filarmónica Joven de Colombia.

Closing in Bourg-Saint-Andéol (18-19 July)

• Saturday 18 July at 9 pm — Lycée Marie-Rivier: Free Nocturne Musicale with the Debussy(s) Summer Academy. Free entry, no booking required.
• Sunday 19 July at 2:30 pm — Chapel: Free Closing Concert with the Summer Academy. Free, booking required at cordesenballade.mapado.com.

Prices and booking

From Mas Saint Antoine: concerts within reach

Three concerts take place in Bourg-Saint-Andéol, a 5-minute walk from the Mas. Other festival venues are 15-30 minutes away by car — Saint-Remèze (7 July), Viviers (12 July), Lagorce (14 July).

Bernard’s tip: The Brasil! concert on 10 July at the Cloître de la Cascade is, to our eyes, the perfect evening during a July stay at the Mas. Walk out from the estate, spend 90 minutes in a floodlit medieval cloister with Debussy and Brazilian music, then walk back in the cool of the evening. Few Ardèche accommodations can offer that to their guests.

Stay at the Mas during the festival

Three festival concerts are 5 minutes from the Mas, two of them free. 6 air-conditioned gîtes, 13×6 m saltwater pool — the ideal base for a musical Ardèche.

Check availability

Any questions? Call Hélène on +33 6 29 11 41 88

Article written by Bernard Favre, owner of Mas Saint Antoine.