THE FESTIVAL
Message from the Artistic Director
Dear music lovers,
We are proud and excited to invite you to join us in celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Lamèque International Baroque Music Festival. From July 30 to August 1, 2026, Baroque music will ring out on the
islands of Lamèque and Miscou, as well as Shippagan.
This anniversary edition will pay homage to Mathieu Duguay, the visionary who made Lamèque such an important part of the early music scene. We hope the 17th and 18th-century works, performed by passionate musicians, will fill you with wonder as they have year after year.
As usual, we will be presenting several concerts showcasing the greatest composers of the Baroque era, including Bach, Handel and Vivaldi. We will also be paying homage to French and Acadian musicians and writers with our opening concert performed by the Mission Saint-Charles Choir, which is celebrating its 40th anniversary this year. In addition, we will be welcoming countertenor Nicholas Burns, winner of the 2025 Mathieu Duguay Early Music Competition, for a joint concert with organist Jean-Willy Kunz, who will be playing the magnificent organ at the Église Saint-Jérôme, in Shippagan.
Among the numerous events planned for this year are a reconstruction of the Festival's very first concert, consisting of Bach’s sonatas for flute and harpsichord, and a concert inspired by some of Mathieu Duguay’s favourite works, performed by harpsichord player Bertrand Cuiller.
Lamèque is delighted to be hosting some 50 artists, all Baroque music specialists who are well known on the national and international music scenes. These include collaborations with the Arion Baroque Orchestra and Pallade, two ensembles that are returning to the Festival this year.
I want to extend my warmest thanks to all our volunteers, sponsors, donors and partners who have made it possible for us to plan such a memorable 50th-anniversary edition.
We look forward to seeing you this summer!
Vincent Lauzer,
Artistic Director of the Lamèque International Baroque Music Festival
Our history
The Lamèque International Baroque Music Festival is an annual festival dedicated to music from the period of 1600 to 1760, performed on period instruments. Founded in 1975 by harpsichordist Mathieu Duguay, the Festival has earned an enviable reputation on the New Brunswick and Canadian musical scenes, and even abroad. Each year, the Festival presents a series of high-calibre concerts at the end of July, making it a not-to-miss cultural event in Acadie. Most concerts are presented in churches and halls on the picturesque Lamèque Island, of which the colourful Saint-Cécile Church in Petite-Rivière-de-l’Île with exceptional acoustics.
Over the years, the Festival has proven to be one of the most interesting musical events of its kind in Canada, with concerts respecting the aesthetics of the Baroque era. Each season, the Festival presents outstanding performances on period instruments (or replicas). Its program includes vocal and instrumental selections, featuring choral works, chamber music and solo pieces by renowned musicians.
A Great Festival on a Small Island
From the seed of a single harpsichord recital in 1971, the Festival came into its own in 1975 and was incorporated in 1976. Since then, many memorable concerts have been presented in the intimate and charming settings on Lamèque Island and surrounding area.
Over the years, numerous world-renowned musicians have performed at the Festival: Musica Antica Köln, Il Tempo et Florilegium, the Studio de musique ancienne de Montréal, the Toronto Consort, excellent soloists such as Emma Kirby, Renata Pokupic, Agnès Mellon, Shannon Mercer, Karina Gauvin, and Nigel Rogers; pianofortists Steven Lubin and Andreas Steir; cellists Peter Wispelwey and Jaap ter Linden; violonist Rachel Podger, not to mention harpsichordists Geneviève Soly, Blandine Verlet, the late Scott Ross, Hank Knox, Blandine Rannou, Luc Beauséjour, and Rachelle Taylor.
Mission Saint-Charles Choir and Orchestra
The Festival's own choir and orchestra, La Mission Saint-Charles, was created in 1985 to celebrate the three hundredth anniversary of the birth of Johann Sebastian Bach. The size of La Mission Saint-Charles varies according to the needs of the music performed each year. The orchestra is comprised of professional musicians while the choir is a mix of professional and experienced amateur singers from the community. Each year, La Mission Saint-Charles presents masterworks of the Baroque repertoire for orchestra, choir and soloists, making each performance a long-awaited musical moment for concert-goers. Since its inception, La Mission Saint-Charles has been led by Hervé Niquet (France), Andrew Parrott (United Kingdom), Christoph Spering (Germany), Bernard Labadie (Canada), Rinaldo Alessandrini (Italy), and Jaap ter Linden (Netherlands), to name but a few. Furthermore, the Festival has been a stepping stone for many Acadian artists, such as sopranos Suzie Leblanc, Pascale Beaudin, and Nathalie Paulin. Between 1977 and 2017, CBC Radio was an important partner of the event, contributing even further to the Festival’s renown in Canada.
Season after season, a selection of prestigious artists and a dedicated effort to maintaining high standards for its musical programming have made the Festival a prestigious event that welcomes patrons from well beyond the borders of New Brunswick. Most concerts take place in Sainte-Cécile Church which is an attraction in and of itself. Built in 1913, it was repainted in 1968 by the parish priest in a multi-coloured motif. Its wooden structure offers perfect acoustics for the music, and with its coloured interior, it makes a dramatic impression on audiences.
Board of directors
Martine Thériault, chairman – Caraquet
Jean-René Noël, vice-president - Campbellton
Roseline Hébert, secretary-treasurer - Lamèque
Marie-Anne Ferron, administrator – Lamèque
Johanne Landry, administrator - Miramichi
Jean-Marie Thériault, administrator – Moncton
Roseline Paulin, administrator – Tracadie
Daniel Chiasson, administrator – Moncton
Martin Mallet, administrator - Shippagan
Team of the Festival
Vincent Lauzer, artistic director
Nathalie Stewart, administrative director