Chalais: The chamber music festival that attracts international artists to Charente

Since 2005, the couple has been installing in Sud-Charente, dreaming of a project that reflects them. “A festival in the countryside, with an artistic vision, not commercial,” they said. The spark? A first concert in Chalais, with a full audience. The festival was born in 2009. Seventeen years later, the event attracts nearly 1,800 spectators over five weekends. International musicians, accustomed to big stages, come to perform. But here, the tempo changes. “When they arrive, they take a deep breath,” says Sarah Shaw. “They rest, eat together… and on stage, this connection is heard.”

Une centaine de bénévoles

In Chalais, music is made up close. Around a hundred volunteers are backstage: meals, accommodation, transportation. “It’s almost a military organization,” smiles the shadow conductor, who records everything in a big notebook. “But above all, it’s a big family.” In the stone nave, the listening is intense. After the concerts, artists and the public continue the conversations in the cloister around local products. “People are looking for emotional, almost spiritual moments,” observes Sarah Shaw.

An expectation met by a demanding program, mixing known and discovered works, like this year’s focus on Weber and Mendelssohn. The bet, however, seemed improbable. “The next festival is never guaranteed, but we have never made any artistic compromises.” In Chalais, chamber music has found more than just a stage: a soul.