International Baroque Festival

Zutphen International Baroque Festival | 1–5 July 2026

The fifth edition of the Zutphen International Baroque Festival is taking place. It promises to be a special edition: the foundation is celebrating its 10th anniversary and is dedicating the festival to Constantijn Huygens (1596–1687).

About the festival
The International Baroque Festival Zutphen (IBFZutphen) is a multi-day music event that can be experienced both actively (through education and talent development) and passively (by attending concerts). The programme includes concerts, lectures, masterclasses and workshops led by internationally renowned musicians specialising in historical performance practice, held at various – often historic – venues in the city centre.
A unique world opens up to the public: in addition to high-quality concerts, public masterclasses and workshops are also accessible. This brings the journey from study to performance to life and provides an accessible insight into historical performance practice.

Zutphen as a backdrop
The festival takes place in the historic Hanzestad Zutphen, situated on the River IJssel. With a history of settlement stretching back over 1,700 years and a period of prosperity in the 14th century thanks to Hanseatic trade, the town exudes history. Medieval churches, city walls and defensive towers form a distinctive backdrop that enhances the experience of music and culture.

Venues and visibility
The beating heart of the festival is Dat Bolwerck on the Zaadmarkt. This is where the office and festival reception are located, and where masterclasses, workshops, Tai Chi sessions and concerts, amongst other things, take place. In addition, the festival collaborates with historic venues such as the Walburgiskerk, Sint-Janskerk, the Witte Vleugel, the Chapel at ’t Rijsselt, the Oude Bornhof and the Lutheran Church. This spread across the city underlines the festival’s historic character.

Theme for 2026: ‘In the footsteps of Constantijn Huygens’
Huygens was a multifaceted figure from the Dutch Golden Age. Through his many travels across Europe, he brought together art and music and embodied the ideal of the homo universalis: a bridge-builder between politics, art and cultures. In that spirit, the festival builds bridges between musical styles, between past and present, between amateurs and professionals, and between performers and the audience.

The programme is structured around three musical pillars:
1. Huygens on his travels – music he heard, admired and practised himself.
2. Around Huygens – the late Renaissance from which his world emerged and the Baroque that followed.
3. Focus on Bach – as in every edition, J.S. Bach takes centre stage, this time in both familiar and surprising performances.

These pillars come to life in 26 performances, ranging from intimate concerts for around forty listeners to large-scale performances in Zutphen’s major churches, such as the Walburgis Church and Sint-Janskerk. Performers include Camerata Trajectina, Ensemble Black Pencil, The Gents, the Lumen Folk Trio, the Hanse Pfeyfferey, the De Jong Brothers and the Kofferbak Collectief. In addition, master storyteller Hans van den Boom will talk on Sunday morning about the lives of Clara and Robert Schumann.

The youngest generation will also be given a chance to take part: primary school children from Zutphen will take part in the opening concert with a children’s choir, attend a special children’s performance on the final day and, through an educational programme, learn about Huygens’ life and travels.

In this way, the International Baroque Festival Zutphen 2026 will not only showcase the music of the 17th century, but also its broader context and its influence right through to Bach’s time – in the spirit of Huygens: curious, boundless and with an open ear and eye for art and beauty.