As it approaches its fortieth anniversary in 2027, the Centre de musique baroque de Versailles reaffirms the founding vision that gave rise to it: French music of the 17th and 18th centuries deserves not only to be preserved, but also understood, passed on, performed and shared. The 2026–2027 season leads us towards a major anniversary year, in which the CMBV will celebrate forty years of commitment and influence.
A founding vision
Since 1987, the CMBV has continued to pursue this singular ambition. Today, we can look back on the journey we have taken, while also looking resolutely to the future to continue this adventure, initiated by Vincent Berthier de Lioncourt and Philippe Beaussant, who dreamed of “bringing the music of Versailles back to the places where it was created”. In doing so, they recalled the extent to which Versailles was also one of the great centres of music in Europe, and how this music contributes fully to the influence of our culture.
A home for French Baroque music
Over four decades, the CMBV has established itself as a key player in the French and international musical landscape and can be considered, in the words of its former director general, Nicolas Bucher, as a “home for French Baroque music”. It has become so by developing a unique model in which research, publishing, musical training, artistic production and cultural outreach mutually enrich one another. This cross-disciplinary approach is one of the CMBV’s strengths: it enables knowledge, artists and audiences to engage in dialogue around the same repertoire.
Preserving is not enough; we must understand, pass on and bring the music to life.
For a forgotten score only comes back to life when it is studied, published, performed and heard. A scholarly discovery only finds its full meaning when it sheds light on a stage, a concert or an educational project. Heritage can only remain alive if it is passed on to audiences by artists. For forty years, the CMBV has been forging these essential links between knowledge and emotion, heritage and creation, memory and the future.
2027, an anniversary year looking to the future
The 2026–2027 season will thus celebrate this collective adventure and showcase what the CMBV is today: an institution faithful to its original mission, yet resolutely looking to the future. As a nod to the first Grandes Journées in 1987, which celebrated Jean-Baptiste Lully, this composer so emblematic of the music of the Grand Siècle will serve as a common thread throughout the 2027 anniversary year, coinciding with the publication of a major book dedicated to his work and to new knowledge arising from research conducted by the CMBV. Lully will thus accompany us as a privileged witness to the fruitful dialogue between research and performance that defines the CMBV.
The year 2027 will also see the launch of the Studio baroque, a new step in our commitment to passing on knowledge and skills. Intended for 18 young singers, instrumentalists and chefs de chant, this programme combines learning, experimentation and professional integration. By enabling a new generation of artists to deepen their understanding of the specific features of the French repertoire in the light of our researchers’ work, it perfectly illustrates our conviction that heritage only exists if it is continually reappropriated and reinvented. The future is also being shaped through the research and publishing projects that punctuate this season. As the monumental edition of the works of Henry Du Mont draws to a close, a new project is getting under way around Michel-Richard de Lalande. This long-term project reflects our commitment to continuing to expand knowledge and to providing musicians with the essential tools for rediscovering this exceptional heritage.
French Baroque music does not belong solely to history: it continues to inspire artists and bring audiences together.
Ten years of Mediation & cultural outreach department
If the CMBV is a home for French Baroque music, it is because it is essential to audiences who specialise in this repertoire, as well as to the most passionate music lovers and enthusiasts, but also because it is committed to making it known and loved by audiences who are furthest removed from it. The year 2027 will also mark ten years of cultural outreach at the CMBV. For a decade, together with our many partners, we have been developing projects that make music a means of personal development, encounter, empowerment and sharing. In Versailles, in the priority neighbourhoods in Maurepas, Guyancourt and La Verrière, and far beyond, our long-term projects demonstrate every day their ability to bring people together, create connections and make music a shared experience.
This same commitment to openness runs throughout the anniversary programme. Concerts, performances, Jeudis musicaux, professional events, publications, conferences, international educational projects, meetings with audiences, digital resources, exhibitions and audiovisual content will all offer different ways into this anniversary year. All these events share the same objective: to show that French Baroque music does not belong solely to history. It continues to engage with the present, inspire artists and bring audiences together.
Missions more necessary than ever
This anniversary reminds us of an essential conviction: some missions are more necessary than ever. Understanding our heritage, passing on knowledge, supporting young artists, supporting research, promoting access to culture for all and promoting French excellence are missions for the future. For forty years, they have been at the heart of the Centre de musique baroque de Versailles’s purpose.
This achievement is shared by all those who have built, supported and contributed to this institution: its founders, teams, researchers, artists, teachers, students, partners, patrons and public authorities. It also belongs to the thousands of spectators, enthusiasts and curious visitors who have placed their trust in us year after year.
Let us celebrate together these forty years of boldness, passion and passing on knowledge.
I wish you all a wonderful 2026–2027 season, looking ahead to the CMBV’s 40th anniversary. Let us celebrate together these forty years of boldness, passion and passing on knowledge. And let us continue, with the same high standards and enthusiasm, to bring this exceptional heritage to life for the next forty years.
Pierre Coppey
President of the CMBV