Seville’s Baroque Orchestra to Open Renowned Music Festival
The Orquesta Barroca de Sevilla (OBS) will launch the 43rd edition of the Festival de Música Antigua de Sevilla (FeMÀS) on Friday, March 6, 2026, with a special concert at the Espacio Turina. This marks the first time the orchestra will open the festival, a significant event in the world of early music. The festival, which runs until March 29, will feature 22 performances across six unique historical venues in Seville.
The opening performance will be directed by French violinist Julien Chauvin, a celebrated figure in historical music performance. According to the Orquesta Barroca de Sevilla, the program, titled ‘El ocaso de los reyes’ (The Sunset of the Kings), will showcase works by four French composers: Antoine Dauvergne, Jean-Joseph Cassanéa de Mondonville, Jean-Marie Leclair and Jean Philippe Rameau. The selection explores French instrumental music from the mid-18th century, a period coinciding with the final flourishing of the Bourbon absolutism.
“Dauvergne, Mondonville, Leclair and Rameau represent different facets of that moment of transition,” the orchestra stated. Chauvin, known for his commitment to historically informed performance practices using period instruments, formed the ensemble Le Concert de la Loge in 2015 with the aim of reviving the sound of 18th-century orchestras.
The festival’s first weekend also includes a performance by Il Giardino Armonico, featuring Russian soprano Julia Lezhneva, at the Teatro de la Maestranza on Sunday, March 8, 2026. The Ayuntamiento de Sevilla reports that this will be Lezhneva’s first appearance in the city. Additional performances scheduled for the opening weekend include clavecinist Diego Ares and Qvinta Essençia at the Iglesia de San Luis de los Franceses, and Forma Antiqva at the Real Fábrica de Artillería.
The Festival de Música Antigua de Sevilla has become a prestigious international event, celebrating over four decades of bringing early music to audiences. The festival’s full program is available online, offering a diverse range of performances throughout March.
