VI International Early Music Festival of Castilla-La Mancha

The 6th International Early Music Festival of Castilla-La Mancha – CLM Antiqva will take place from 23 September to 31 October 2026 across different historic towns and heritage sites in Castilla-La Mancha, Spain. CLM Antiqva is a festival dedicated to early music and historically informed performance, conceived as a meeting point between music, heritage, education and local communities. Its sixth edition reinforces this identity with a renewed image and an expanded commitment to bringing early music closer to wider and more diverse audiences. 

The 2026 edition presents a programme that explores the musical heritage of the Renaissance and Baroque periods through concerts by specialised ensembles and internationally recognised performers. Rather than limiting the experience to the concert itself, CLM Antiqva proposes a broader cultural journey: audiences are invited to discover historic towns, monuments and landscapes through music, complemented by guided visits, local gastronomy and other cultural activities. One of the main objectives of this edition is to strengthen the festival’s educational and outreach dimension. Throughout the campaign and the festival, digital content will help audiences discover the repertoire, instruments, composers and historical contexts behind the music. This approach aims to make early music more accessible and understandable, creating the necessary tools for audiences to actively engage with the performances. 

The 2026 edition also places particular emphasis on artistic creation and transmission. A key new initiative is the Academia Barroca CLM Antiqva, developed in collaboration with the Escuela de Música de Villarrobledo and young string students from the Orquesta Sinfónica. Working with specialists in historically informed performance on strings and winds, the academy will prepare a Baroque programme and present its first festival concert in Villarrobledo on 26 September. The project creates a direct connection between professional musicians, young performers and local music education. Another important collaboration is established with the Ciclo de Órgano Histórico de La Torre de Juan Abad. On 3 October, CLM Antiqva will join this historic organ cycle, incorporating a festival day and a concert by the organist of Segovia Cathedral, strengthening the links between the festival, historic instruments and local heritage initiatives.

By connecting high-quality artistic programming with education, heritage interpretation and community participation, CLM Antiqva seeks to transform the perception of early music: not as a distant or specialised art form, but as a living cultural heritage that can be experienced, understood and shared. The sixth edition therefore continues CLM Antiqva’s commitment to bringing exceptional music to extraordinary places while creating meaningful encounters between artists, young musicians, local communities, heritage and audiences. Castilla-La Mancha becomes not only the setting for the festival, but an essential part of its artistic and cultural narrative.