CSBF26
reconciliations: war & peace
A Festival Where Heritage Meets Creation
For its 2026 edition, the Coudenberg Sound Box Fest (CSBF) pursues its commitment to exploring the relationships between music, society, and heritage, blending concerts, mediation, networking, conferences, and masterclasses. True to its identity, the festival traverses centuries and aesthetics to build meaningful bridges between audiences, cultures, and perspectives, viewing early music as a contemporary expression that naturally engages with modern voices.
The iconic spaces around the Coudenberg Palace thus transcend their historical nature to become a vibrant stage and laboratory for experimentation. The underground galleries host immersive, multi-sensory performances, such as those by ClubMédiéval centered around Charles V, allowing the audience to journey through the ruins. Concurrently, the Church of Saint Jacques-sur-Coudenberg provides the perfect acoustic backdrop to highlight sacred programs linked to the court of the Dukes of Burgundy and Mary of Hungary, brought to life by the vocal ensemble DionysosNow!.
2026 Edition:
War and Peace
The central theme "War and Peace" guides this sixth season of the CSBF. The opening concerts bring sacred music into dialogue with contemporary resonances: the InAlto Ensemble, directed by Lambert Colson and joined by the voice of Alice Foccroulle, explores the Symphoniae Sacrae by Heinrich Schütz and Johann Theile, offering the music of the past as a symbol of hope, while AkroPercu transforms the galleries into a sonic battlefield, blending virtuosity and physical theater. The programs on November 29th, featuring Ensemble Matica de Flor and Ensemble Satellite, extend this reflection by addressing memory and resistance through Sephardic traditions and the suppressed voices of the 20th century, from Gideon Klein to Sofia Gubaidulina. The festival culminates with the "East and West" concert featuring Elias Bachoura and the duo BeraadGeslagen, exploring intercultural dialogue and the intersection of Eastern and Western heritages, memory, and contemporary creativity.
What’s New?
This year, the festival inaugurates an "off-site" series in an extraordinary co-production with Bozar, offering immersive double concerts across both underground and elevated spaces. Concurrently, the second season of CSBF NextGen will allow young international ensembles to compete for a cash prize, festival placement in 2027, and a new commission by Belgian composer Andreas Moulin. To deepen these musical explorations, the festival introduces a multidisciplinary series of academic conferences in collaboration with ULB and IHEB, alongside educational projects with Jeunesses Musicales to actively engage younger audiences with history and musical heritage.
An exceptional reception celebrating the 2026 REMA Summit — co-produced with the Embassy of Ireland to mark the Irish Presidency of the Council of the European Union at the end of 2026 — further cements the festival's international reach.
17 November '26
NextGen 2026
Workshops & talks
10 am - 6 pm / Comics Strip Museum, Brussels
Day one of the NextGen program focuses on two pillars: professional training in essential career and legal skills to foster economic autonomy (Ambitus & PlayRight), and international networking, connecting ensembles with artistic directors from institutions like BOZAR and Concertgebouw Brugge to accelerate their global careers.
22 November '26,
Opening Concert
Rumbling before Peace
In Alto + AkroPercu
6.30 PM - 8.30 PM / Coudenberg palace, Brussels
The festival opens its sixth season by juxtaposing historical resilience with contemporary energy. InAlto Ensembleperforms sacred Baroque works by Schütz and Theile, evoking hope in the aftermath of the Thirty Years' War. This is paired with AkroPercu, a percussion trio blending physical theater and virtuosity to transform the site into a "mythical combat" of sound. Together, they explore the power of music and gesture as instruments of renewal and gathering.
29 November '26, Concert
Speak, your lips are free
Ensemble Matica de Flor + Trio Satellite
6.30 pm - 8.30 pm / Coudenberg Palace, Brussels
Ensemble Matica de Flor (France), 2025 NextGen winners, present a rare program of Sephardic traditions from the Mediterranean, celebrating resilience and cultural memory. In a powerful historical parallel, Ensemble Satellite explores 20th-century suppressed voices, including Gideon Klein and Sofia Gubaidulina. Together, these programs offer an intense reflection on exile, resistance, and music’s universal power to transcend historical trauma.
13 December '26,
Closing Concert
At the End
Elias Bachoura + BeraadGeslagen
6.30 pm - 8.30 pm / Coudenberg Palace, Brussels
The festival concludes with a focus on cultural dialogue, featuring Belgian-Syrian oud player Elias Bachoura. His album Biharayto blends Eastern modal depth with Western classical harmony, offering a meditation on peace and coexistence.
This is followed by the experimental duo BeraadGeslagen (Lander Gyselinck and Fulco Ottervanger), who will preview their upcoming album. Their high-energy jazz and electronic improvisation continue the evening's theme, exploring the tensions and harmonies between tradition, memory, and contemporary resistance.
18 November '26
NextGen 2026
Masterclasses & Final Concert
10 am - 8 pm / Comic strip museum, Brussels
Day two focuses on international networking with key artistic directors (BOZAR, Concertgebouw Brugge) and artistic mentorship through masterclasses with Lambert Colson and Nicolas Achten. The program culminates in a Creation Prize: a collaboration with composer Andreas Moulin to co-create and record a new work. This project, premiering at CSBF 2027, directly promotes the artists' international careers and the evolution of the early music repertoire.
24 November '26
REMA Reception
Private Event in Collaboration with the Embassy of Irland
7 pm - 9 pm / Coudenberg palace, Brussels
On the occasion of the Irish presidency of the European Union, the event will include a focus on Irish Early Music, including a concert by members of the Irish Baroque Orchestra.
We would like to make this focus stronger by organising an opening reception for our Board members and partners (European cultural networks and Belgian institutions) on 24 November evening, on the proposal of the Coudenberg Sound Box Fest, showcasing the Irish Early Music repertoire and performers. We would be honoured to connect with the Irish Embassy in Brussels on this occasion.
6 December '26, Concert
(in co-production with Bozar)
Sacred and Profane in the Lost Palace
Dinosyos Now! + Club Medieval
5.30 pm - 6.30 PM / Coudenberg Palace, Brussels
7 pm - 8 pm / Church of St. James on Coudenberg, Brussels
8.30 pm - 9.30 pm / Coudenberg Palace, Brussels
In collaboration with Bozar, the festival debuts its "hors les murs" series with a unique, immersive double concert. Audiences will journey between "below" and "above," experiencing secular music by ClubMédiéval in the archaeological underground and sacred music by Dionysos Now! in the Coudenberg Church. This rotating "in situ" format, featuring music linked to the courts of Charles V and Mary of Hungary, maximizes capacity while offering a quadrupled, immersive experience across these historic spaces.
With the support of
