This guided exhibition visit focuses on sonneurs, the biniou and bombarde players who have long set Breton gatherings in motion. Paintings, photographs, drawings, engravings and sculptures reveal how artists responded to the musicians’ sound, presence and social role. Seen together in Le Faouet, the works connect instruments, costume and collective memory, showing why these paired players became such enduring figures in Brittany’s visual culture.
Tag: folk-music
L’Assemblee des Bourdons
L’Assemblée des Bourdons draws from Breton culture and dance, especially traditions of Upper Brittany, to create a contemporary choreographic work. The Pied en Sol company works with breath, step and voice, supported by deep viola da gamba sound and traditional singing. Inherited dance is treated as a living vocabulary, open to new movement, sound and stage forms.
Huitres Voiles et Compagnie
Huîtres, Voiles et Compagnie gathers Locmariaquer around oyster farming, traditional boats and harbour hospitality. Crews arrive to oysters, bread, butter and white wine, while sea shanties, Breton music, folk dance and an oyster-shucking contest animate the port. Growers and the festival committee serve shellfish, far breton and other local dishes, turning maritime work and Morbihan food culture into a waterfront celebration.
Nocturnes du mercredi in Pléneuf-Val-André: Streetside Concerts
Nocturnes du mercredi turns Pléneuf-Val-André into a street music route shaped by merchants, terraces and the seaside promenade. Bagad Salicornes brings Breton and Celtic sound, while folk, blues, pop and DJ sets spread through Val-André and Dahouët. Seafood counters, cafés and pedestrian streets join the performances, giving the resort a civic evening ritual rooted in coastal public space.
Les Mercredis en fête in Tréguier: Music Below the Cathedral
Mercredi en fête spreads live music across Tréguier’s central streets and squares. Le Pottier and L’Haridon, Skol sonerien Landreger, Ducasse, La Waso, Youl and Slivovitsa move the programme from Breton sonneurs to brass-band colour and wider dance rhythms. By linking several stages within the historic town centre, the gathering lets audiences circulate between local musical practice and contrasting contemporary sounds.
Hommage à Desi Wilkinson at Café Breton
The Café Breton Trad Festival honours Desi Wilkinson, the Belfast flautist, singer, collector and teacher who connected Irish music with generations of players. Gilles Le Bigot, Stéphane Morvan, Sam Wilkinson and Breton and Irish artists gather around his repertoire and memory. The reserved dinner-show format keeps the tribute close and communal, joining music, oral transmission and the friendship Wilkinson fostered between Ireland and Brittany.
Galanta at Café Breton: Trad Festival Dinner Show
Galanta performs at Café Breton in Perros-Guirec as part of a dinner-show series devoted to traditional music. Reserved seating and a dedicated concert fee create a listening-focused room, while the kitchen serves mussels, fish and chips, burgers, salads and Breton dishes. The combination keeps the musical set distinct while retaining the sociable pace of a shared meal in the café.
Les Vendredis Dañs Alre in Auray: Summer Fest-Noz Series
Les Vendredis Dañs Alre brings Breton dance to the forecourt of Centre culturel Athéna in Auray. The trio Inorzen pairs Élodie Jaffré’s singing with Yann Le Bozec on double bass and Martin Chapron on bouzouki. Refreshments and food support a communal fest-noz setting where voice, strings and dance rhythm meet in the open air.
Myrdhin Concert in Tréhorenteuc: Celtic Heritage
Myrdhin performs at the Eglise du Graal in Tréhorenteuc, a place strongly tied to Brocéliande and Arthurian imagination. The harpist is a major figure in the revival of the Celtic harp, and his repertoire draws on Brittany, Ireland and traditional poetic sources. Harp sound, forest legend and sacred interior give the concert a clear regional frame.
Fest Noz in Saint-Lunaire: Zonj and Kelteen
Fest Noz in Saint-Lunaire places the Breton night-dance tradition at the centre of a warm summer gathering. Zonj and Kelteen bring Celtic music to a setting built for dancing, food and shared participation. Fest-noz remains a lived social form here, with melody, movement and collective memory carried together on the dance floor.