The Pays-d’Enhaut classical music festival returns from 9 to 18 October with ten days of chamber music, young talent, family events and performances across Château-d’Oex and Rougemont.

The Festival du Bois qui Chante returns to the Pays-d’Enhaut from 9 to 18 October for its 26th edition, continuing a musical tradition that began in 2001.

Created by music lovers who wanted to bring cultural life to the region during the quieter autumn period, the festival has grown into one of October’s established appointments in the Pays-d’Enhaut. Its name comes from the resonance wood found in the forests above Rougemont — the type of wood traditionally used to make string instruments.

This year’s programme once again mixes established musicians with emerging talent, chamber music with more unexpected formats, and concerts with events rooted firmly in the landscape and community of the region.
 

From wind quintet to Bach

The opening weekend begins with a musical aperitif in Château-d’Oex on 10 October, featuring young local musicians, followed by a concert by Ensemble Astera at the Temple de Château-d’Oex. The Franco-Swiss wind quintet, winner of the 2023 Carl Nielsen International Chamber Music Competition, will perform works by Grieg, Barber, Ravel and Dvořák. 

On Sunday, the festival moves from chamber music to sacred repertoire with a cantata service featuring singers from the Ensemble Vocal de Lausanne and music by Johann Sebastian Bach. Later that day, the festival’s traditional orchestra workshop brings together amateur and professional musicians from the Pays-d’Enhaut, the Lake Geneva region, and the Saanenland.
 

Music for all ages

Families also have their own place in the programme. On 14 October, the Cinéma Eden in Château-d’Oex hosts Les quatre saisons de Framboise et Confiture, a concert designed for children aged zero to six and inspired by Vivaldi.

The following evening brings a very different atmosphere with singer Maria de la Paz, bandoneon player Victor Hugo Villena and Ensemble Ad Libitum in a programme built around the music of Piazzolla and Brel. 

Young regional talent returns to the spotlight on 16 October, when 16-year-old harpist Isaure Castioni gives a recital ranging from Handel and Saint-Saëns to contemporary works.
 

Into the forest in Rougemont

One of the festival’s most distinctive traditions takes place on 17 October in Rougemont.

The day begins with a concert celebrating 20 years of the Tchiki Duo, followed by the festival’s musical brunch and an afternoon walk through the Forêt des Arses — the forest whose resonance wood helped give the festival its name.

Along the route, music and landscape meet through a series of performances, including a traditional Basque txalapartabuilt especially for the occasion from wood from the forest by Saanen percussionist William Zahler. bois-qui-chante

The festival closes on 18 October with violinist Zhang Zhang and guitarist Leopoldo Giannola in a programme ranging from Bach and Puccini to Piaf, Morricone and Leonard Cohen.

The 26th Festival du Bois qui Chante runs from 9 to 18 October 2026 at venues across Château-d’Oex and Rougemont.
The programme and tickets are available on the festival website. Festival du Bois qui Chante programme

Also this week: The Alberto Lysy International Violin Competition brings 22 young violinists to Gstaad and Saanen from 8–10 October.