Montalbâne medieval music festival returns to Freyburg with ancient flutes and Catalan sibyl songs

Festival returns under the banner of 'The Unknown'

The medieval music festival montalbâne, meaning "white mountain", runs for the 36th time from Friday 19 June to Sunday 21 June 2026 in Freyburg, Saxony-Anhalt. This year's motto is "Das Unbekannte", The Unknown, and the programme examines hidden, mystical and enigmatic corners of medieval culture. Festival director Susanne Ansorg told the German Press Agency that the event is built on a scientific engagement with medieval music, its roots and performance practice, and stands apart from popular medieval markets or historical town festivals.

This music has its roots in sacred, ecclesiastical and folk traditions.

Reconstructed instruments, from bone flutes to a 5,000-year-old clay flute

Musicians perform on faithful reconstructions of medieval instruments: one-hand flutes, bone flutes, recorders and transverse flutes are all heard. A particular novelty this year is a reconstruction of a clay flute from China that is around 5,000 years old. The organisers stress that every sound is grounded in musicological research, not fantasy. Musicians and enthusiasts from across Europe and the United States gather for the festival, which has built a reputation for its research-led programming.

Saturday's highlight brings Catalan sibyl songs and an old Norwegian dream

The festival's centrepiece is the concert "El Cant de la Sibil·la & Draumkvedet" on Saturday evening in the Stadtkirche St. Marien. It combines Catalan sibylline chants with an old Norwegian dream poem under the musical direction of Arianna Savall and Petter Udland Johansen. For the first time, a specially assembled twelve-voice choir drawn from festival participants joins the performance. Beyond the headline concert, the programme includes five concerts, a lecture with music, a reading with music and a festival service.

The programme includes five concerts, a lecture with music, a reading with music and a festival service with musicians from the festival. Visitors can also talk with artists and experts and learn more about medieval music and its performance practice.

Stable attendance and growing budget

Organisers expect around 1,200 visitors over the three days, drawn from across Germany. Last year the festival attracted roughly 1,100 people, and attendance figures have been relatively stable for several years. The total cost of this year's edition amounts to approximately 60,000 euros, with key support from the state of Saxony-Anhalt, the Lotto-Toto GmbH Sachsen-Anhalt and the Sparkasse Burgenlandkreis.

A castle on a white rock

The festival takes its name from the white rock on which Schloss Neuenburg sits, high above the wine-growing town of Freyburg and the River Unstrut. The castle's medieval halls provide an authentic acoustic and visual setting for the concerts, reinforcing the scholarly spirit of the gathering.