MAfestival Brugge

Last updated
MA Festival
GenreEarly music
DatesYearly in August
Location(s)Bruges, Belgium
Organized byMA Festival
Website https://mafestival.be/en/news

The MA Festival Brugge, short for the festival Musica Antiqua Bruges in Bruges, Belgium, is a festival of early music and historically informed performances, started in 1960. The program includes concerts, master classes, conferences, visits in the region, exhibitions, instrument market, and international competitions that concentrates in a three-year cycle on organ, harpsichord, pianoforte and other period instruments, vocals, and baroque ensembles. The specialised festival is part of the Festival of Flanders.

Contents

History

The city of Bruges joined the Flanders Festival in 1960. In the early years, the emphasis was mainly on the biennial exhibitions of Flemish Primitives in European possession. Gradually, the idea grew, given the evolution of the Flanders Festival in almost exclusively a musical direction, to organize a musical part in Bruges as well. To achieve this, a non-profit organization was founded in 1962. Mayor Pierre Venamme and two aldermen were among the founders on behalf of the city, together with persons who mainly belonged to the music sector (Kamiel D'Hooghe, Jan Briers, Robrecht Dewitte, Herman Sabbe, Canon Paul François, Raymond Van Wassenhove). In 1963, 'Organ Days' were organized. The first official festival took place in 1964.

From that year and until 2004, the festival was led by co-founder and driving force Robrecht Dewitte.

The organizer called on specialists who, with their knowledge of the evolution in music performance, were of good advice. Among them are: Gustav Leonhardt, Kamiel D'Hooghe, prof. Marcel Boereboom, prof. Jozef Robijns, Pieter Enriessen and Johan Huys.

The management tasks were taken over after 2004 as follows:

• 2004-2005: Bart Demuyt;

• 2005-2007: Stefan Dewitte;

• 2007-2009: Tomas Bisschop and Hendrik Storme;

• 2009-2019: Tomas Bisschop;

The current directors are Tomas Bisschop (artistic director) and Goedele Bartholomeeusen (business director).

Mission of the festival

From the start they wanted to show the highlights from the city's past and provide a meeting place for specialists, performers, instrument makers, educators, students, and music lovers.

The path had been prepared for this by Safford Cape, who had set the tone for its summer courses with Pro Musica Antiqua since 1961 in Bruges. From 1964 the organization of competitions was worked out in concrete terms within regularly successive three-yearly cycles. Immediately, the emphasis was also placed on these competitions, as the main opportunity to support the vibrancy and image of the festival and to introduce the ideas that the organizers were propagating to the younger generations.

Music making has been complemented by exhibitions and fairs, interpretation courses and master classes, forums, lectures, and guided visits to historic instruments in Flanders. Concert performances are focused on lesser-known music until about 1800.

Competition

Ever since the first edition of this prestigious international competition, the MA Competition has established itself as a unique platform for training and professional integration and encounter of young promising talent. It actively supports the artistic process and some important values including equality, diversity and inclusion.

The MA Competition first took place in 1964 with a triennial competition for organ, followed in 1965 by a triennial competition for harpsichord and basso continuo and from 1983 also for pianoforte. In 1972 the competition was extended to include the recorder and the competition for ensembles was also started (which coincided with the organ competition from 2000). The program for baroque instruments became more and more extensive. Completed the list: traverso, baroque oboe, lute, cornetto, baroque violin and cello, viola de gamba ... Since 1984, singing has also been featured.

Due to the corona pandemic in 2020, the MA Competition did not take place for the first time since 1969. Thanks to a quick and efficient overhaul of the organization, the rest of the programming could continue online. Partly due to this crisis, in 2021 the organization of the festival was adapted to the situation and the first round of the competition takes place digitally. Starting this year, the competition will be a biennial event, alternating between keyboard instruments (harpsichord and pianoforte) and melodic instruments (traverso, recorder, baroque oboe, baroque violin, baroque cello and viola da gamba).

Since 2008, the winner of the first prize will, in addition to a cash prize, win the chance to be invited to a series of concerts taking place in Belgium and abroad, including a guaranteed place in the next edition of the MA Competition. In addition, since 2013, one of the candidates has the opportunity to record a CD with the internationally renowned Ricercar label.

International competition for organ and since 2000 for early music ensembles as well

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International competition for harpsichord, basso continuo and since 1983 also pianoforte

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International competition Musica Antiqua: recorder and other instruments, vocals, as well as (until 1996) ensembles

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International competition Musica Antiqua for traverso, baroque violin, baroque cello and viola da gamba.

2014

International competition Musica Antiqua for recorder, barokflute, baroque violin, baroque cello and viola da gamba

2017

International competition Musica Antiqua 2017 for recorder, traverso, baroque oboe, baroque violin, baroque cello and viola da gamba

2021

International competition Musica Antiqua 2021 for recorder, traverso, baroque oboe, baroque violin, baroque cello and viola da gamba.

Concerts

The festival annually programs a number of concerts, master classes and workshops on early music. Usually, the events are concentrated around a specific theme. In addition to a few major concerts as well as the afternoon concerts that have been taking place in the Concertgebouw since 2002, most evening concerts and nocturnes are held in churches such as the Saint James Church, Saint Gilles Church, Carmelite Church, Saint Anne Church and Saint Walburga Church, as well as in other historical locations in Bruges (Stadsschouwburg or town hall) and in the vicinity of Bruges (Ter Doest's barn and Lissewege church, for example). The locations are chosen in function of the acoustics of the room and the spirit of the time of the music to be performed.

During the festival there will also be an exhibition in the halls of the Bruges belfry about historical instruments and a fair of new instruments for sale. Especially the triennial harpsichord and pianoforte expo enjoys world fame.

VéloBaroque

In 2013, MA Festival was enriched with the new concept VéloBaroque, combining a series of concerts with a bicycle tour through the Bruges countryside. Since then it has been organized every year. Only in 2020 this could not take place due to the corona crisis.

Yearly theme

Partners

Literature

CDs

Since 2013, one of the candidates of the MA Competition is given the opportunity to record a CD with the internationally known Ricercar label.

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