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CALVI'S POLYPHONIC SONGS ENCOUNTERS
37TH EDITION
From 14 September To 19 September
Music, Corsican Music, Traditional music, Polyphonies
Citadelle de Calvi, 20260 Calvi
04 95 65 23 57
Event date : - From 14 September To 19 September
Presentation
From 14 to 19 September 2026, Calvi will host the 38th edition of the Rencontres de Chants Polyphoniques, one of the most unique events on the French music scene. Founded in 1989, this festival – dedicated to vocal expressions from around the world – brings together artists this year from the United States, Iran, Ireland, Italy, Brittany, Argentina and Venezuela, alongside the Corsican ensemble A Filetta, a long-standing mainstay of the event.
Calvi: a crossroads of the world’s voices for the 38th edition of the Rencontres Polyphoniques
Since 1989, the Calvi Polyphonic Singing Festival has, year after year, fostered a rare space for dialogue between vocal traditions, cultures and contemporary creations. Founded by the U Svegliu Calvese association and the ensemble A Filetta, the festival is based on an idea as simple as it is powerful: to bring people together. It brings together voices, repertoires and languages, but also – and above all – the artists themselves, who come to Calvi to share their traditions and imagine new musical forms together.
The Calvi Polyphonic Singing Festival: the 38th edition of a unique vocal festival
This philosophy takes shape in a very tangible way every evening: A Filetta’s songs open the programme and welcome the guest groups, continuing a gesture of hospitality that has become one of the festival’s hallmarks. It is in this spirit that the pre-opening event on 14 September will kick off the 2026 edition, featuring EPPÒ and D’ogni culore, blending Corsican music with Mediterranean influences. Among Calvi’s festivals, this event holds a special place in the town’s cultural calendar.
Deeply rooted in Corsican culture, the Rencontres extend their influence far beyond the ‘Isle of Beauty’. This 38th edition brings together artists from five continents, reaffirming the international ethos of a festival that has never ceased to make Calvi, in Corsica, a meeting point for the vocal traditions of the whole world.
A rich 2026 programme blending vocal heritage and contemporary creation
This year’s programme covers a particularly broad artistic spectrum. The American ensemble Roomful of Teeth, accompanied by composer and singer Gabriel Kahane, will present excerpts from Caroline Shaw’s *Partita for 8 Voices* as well as the *Elevator Songs*. The Korean collective Liquid Sound, collaborating with A Filetta, will officially open the Rencontres on 15 September with ‘Gosarisori’, a brand-new project at the crossroads of two vocal traditions. Meanwhile, Iranian musicians Maliheh Moradi, Kiya Tabassian and Hamin Honari will present *La voix de l’aube* (*The Voice of Dawn*), a journey into the heart of Persian song.
Further information
Micrologus, conducted by Patrizia Bovi, with FRANCESCO, *La natura e il divino*, exploring the works of Francis of Assisi, Hildegard of Bingen and Raymond of Sabunde
Humanophones and their concert *Antropus*, produced entirely by the human body, with touches of alternative pop and soul
Seamus and Caoimhe, from Ireland, showcasing *sean-nós*, the traditional unaccompanied Irish vocal style
Barzaz, blending Breton song and instrumental music
Jose Sanchez and Alberto Garcia and Reflets, ranging from Baroque to flamenco
Rosela Libertad, blending Argentine folk traditions with the landscapes of the llanura
Rebecca Roger Cruz, the Venezuelan singer, who will bring the Rencontres to a close with *Río Abajo*
The Rencontres are not limited to evening concerts. Several mornings feature events at 11 am, in a café or aperitif setting, ideal for listening and discussion. On 16 September, the Italian Nicola Segatta will present *Dal legno al suono*, a hybrid project combining elements of a concert, a workshop, theatre and an immersive experience. On 17 September, a public listening session featuring the sound archives of the Musée de la Corse’s sound library will offer the chance to delve into the musical heritage collected as part of the Estru paisanu – Territoires sonores project. On 18 September, world music specialist Frank Tenaille will host a music salon dedicated to the music of the Silk Roads.
Throughout the five days, the public will also be able to explore Paul Salducci’s exhibition, *Between the Sacred and Witchcraft: A History of Corsican Rites and Beliefs*, as well as a mural created live by the Sicilian painter Alberto Ruce. Photographs of the previous evening’s concerts, taken by Armand Luciani and Olivier Sanchez, will be on display each day, whilst *La Gazette du polyphone*, produced by several cartoonists, will be published daily. The festival will draw to a close on 19 September with *Calusgiule A' L'Ultimu*, a collective evening bringing together all the artists from this 38th edition for a final joint performance.
