ARCTIC FEVER

“There is nothing more beautiful than this Arctic night. It is the land of dreams, the colour of unreality.”

Fridtjof Nansen, Vers le Pôle

<ARCTIC FEVER> Iceland, Scandinavia, Finland or the Baltic states: Ars Musica 2026 ventures into captivating musical landscapes where contemporary creation resonates with vast expanses of ice, rock, flowing water and forests. Featured composers Anders Hillborg (Sweden) and Kristine Tjøgersen (Norway) will guide us through these northern territories, alongside the elemental and spiritual worlds of Anna Thorvaldsdottir, Arvo Pärt and Kaija Saariaho, as well as new works by Helena Tulve, Erkki-Sven Tüür and Bergrún Snæbjörnsdóttir.

<ARCTIC FEVER> But Arctic Fever is also the fever of a North that is overheating. Glaciers melt and collapse into the sea; landscapes shift into the unknown. This fragile reality has inspired works such as Jean-Luc Fafchamps’ Messe des Glaces and Frédéric Verrières’ Cristallisation. Here, ice fields and the languages of northern peoples acquire a renewed poetic resonance.

< ARCTIC FEVER > Far from the bacterial infection the title may evoke, the fever we celebrate is one of joy… of contagious exhilaration! Hearts race, bodies move, and music becomes a celebration of life itself, from hip-hop dance to contemporary trance, with Régis Campo’s Beatbox Concerto, Bastien David’s Nous sommes Orage, and many more.

50 events / 25 locations / 20 creations / 10 cities. Remaining true to its human-centred vision of music, Ars Musica 2026 brings together some of the most compelling voices in contemporary creation, from Belgium and beyond. Open to everyone – music lovers, adults, students and children alike – the festival is made possible through partnerships across Belgium and internationally, including Ensemble Intercontemporain, Cikada Ensemble, the Belgian National Orchestra, Brussels Philharmonic, Chœur de Chambre de Namur and Quatuor Diotima.

Finally, this edition’s subtitle: [We Are Hot]. It expresses our conviction that discovering new artistic creation is exciting and that in a world that is literally heating up, we have to continue to burn with curiosity about the world around us.

In music, perhaps more than anywhere else: let our enthusiasm be a reminder to be aware, and let our awareness be a reminder to always remain enthusiastic.

Patrick Leterme
Artistic director
 

Katrien Dobbelaere
Operational and administrative director