The sacred in the heart: the Festival de La Chaise-Dieu brings together thousands of music lovers and artists of international renown in the heart of a small village. And within an exceptional Gothic heritage: the Saint-Robert Abbey. With amazing acoustics, top-of-the-range programming and a warm atmosphere… Everything combines to offer festival-goers exceptional moments. Since more than half a century, the festival of sacred, classical or chamber music, thrills the abbey of La Chaise-Dieu. For 10 days, each year, at the end of August.

The La Chaise-Dieu music festival returns for its 57th edition, which gives La Chaise-Dieu its own identity and which makes this festival, undoubtedly, a unique event. You will find sacred music, piano and violin, but also the greatest symphonic formations and the greatest soloists. All this offered in a unique setting, right in the middle of Auvergne nature, in a thousand-year-old abbey, at an altitude of more than 1 m. A recipe that works: more than 000 musicians on stage and more than 100 singers.

Harp festival Chaise-Dieu

57 years of concerts at La Chaise-Dieu

In 2023, there will be big stars at the Saint-Robert abbey: Renaud Capucon, Alexandre Kantorow, Alexandre Tharaud, or even Daniele Rustioni, as well as national orchestras such as the Orchester national d'Île-de-France or again the National Orchestra of Lyon.

The Festival de La Chaise-Dieu is also traveling in 2023. From August 23, a new device, the “Generation La Chaise-Dieu”, which welcomes 3 chamber music ensembles for 10 days, and will work throughout the festival with their three tutors: Pierre Fouchenneret, violin; Lise Berthaud, viola and Romain Descharmes, piano. This makes it possible to highlight the new young generation of musicians, who will give a free concert in a village or town in Haute-Loire and Puy-de-Dôme.

Republican Guard Symphony Orchestra S. Billard La Chaise-Dieu

A festival born from a passion for the piano in La Chaise-Dieu

We owe the La Chaise-Dieu festival to Georges Cziffra, a Hungarian virtuoso musician born in Budapest, naturalized French in 1968. He is known for his interpretation of the works of Liszt and considered one of the best pianists of the XNUMXth century.e century.

It all started in 1957, when Georges Mazoyer, cardiologist at Le Puy-en-Velay, and his wife Suzanne, a piano teacher, overheard the pianist Georges Cziffra during a television programme. Overwhelmed by his musical genius, they invited him to come and play in 1963 at the Théâtre du Puy-en-Velay. It was a huge success, which encouraged the Mazoyers to organize a concert with a large orchestra.

The abbey church of Saint Robert La Chaise-Dieu

The question then arises of location. Georges Mazoyer writes: “One day in 1965, we were driving on the road that leads from Puy-en-Velay to Vichy (…). Passing by La Chaise-Dieu, the austere, proud and grandiose abbey church suddenly appeared to us as a call, an invitation, a prayer... wasn't that the privileged place what were we looking for? We weren't sponsored by anyone to do this, but we had a much more fabulous treasure around us: a host of volunteer friends who spent their time without counting the cost. On September 25, 1966, everything was ready to welcome the 2 spectators who thronged to the doors of the abbey… This first concert was a triumph. Cziffra put an end to the endless reminders (500 precisely) with these words: “See you next year”.

The abbey in summer