Domaine Forget Festival: Music in Saint-Irénée

There are not many places in Quebec where you can hear a string quartet performed inside a wooden hall perched above the Saint Lawrence River. The Domaine Forget de Charlevoix, in Saint-Irénée, is one of them — and its summer festival has built the site's reputation over nearly half a century. The 48th International Festival runs from June 27 to August 22, 2026, under a tagline that captures the spirit of the place: Beau devant! (Beauty ahead). Saint-Irénée sits on the scenic Route 362, about twenty minutes from La Malbaie — an ideal distance for visitors planning to string together several concert evenings without zigzagging the region.

A landmark on the heights of Saint-Irénée

The Domaine Forget occupies a remarkable site — a late-nineteenth-century summer estate set on the slopes above Saint-Irénée, with a sweeping view of the river and the north-shore mountains. Its musical vocation came later: in the 1970s, the property became an academy of music and dance, then a festival open to the public. The Salle Françoys-Bernier — a concert pavilion built specifically for acoustic performance, framed in glue-laminated wood — has become as much an architectural landmark as an acoustic one.

The summer academy trains young musicians from Quebec and abroad, and the festival extends that presence by programming established artists, contemporary commissions and public-facing events across eight weeks of high season.

The 2026 festival: June 27 to August 22

The 2026 International Festival — the 48th edition — runs for nearly two months, making it one of the longest classical festivals in the country. The Beau devant! tagline points to a programme tuned toward openness and immersion, with music, dance and the Charlevoix landscape echoing one another. The official spokesperson this year is Marc Hervieux, who marks 35 years on stage with an anniversary concert titled Marc Hervieux: 35 ans en chansons — a marquee event for both longtime followers of the tenor and Domaine regulars.

The density of the programme allows for several ways to take it in. Some visitors come for a single concert and head home the same night; others build a stay around three or four evenings over the week; subscribers collect a dozen. For anyone staying nearby, the middle option is the most enjoyable — it leaves room for hiking, regional tables and a slower pace.

On the programme: chamber music, jazz and dance

Chamber music remains the historical core of the festival, with recitals, quartets and smaller ensembles spread between the main hall and the more intimate spaces of the property. Alongside, a jazz programme has gained weight in recent years: in 2026, singer Jane Monheit revisits the Cole Porter songbook, and Kim Richardson pays tribute to Duke Ellington alongside the Orchestre national de jazz de Montréal.

Dance has steadily expanded its share of the schedule. This year, the Compagnie Virginie Brunelle presents Sans quoi nous crèverons, an incisive piece that probes the tensions of the moment; Compagnie Vías brings Tout ce qu'il reste, a creation built around Schubert lieder. Dance at the Domaine receives the same staging attention as the music — a rare commitment in Quebec, and it shows in the quality of the productions on offer.

Préludes à l'été and the Variétés series

Before the festival officially opens, a Préludes à l'été series programmes a handful of June evenings (June 5, 6, 12, 19, 20 and 26, 2026). The format is lighter and the calendar less dense, but the atmosphere is already there — and tickets are often more accessible than at the height of the season. For visitors heading to Charlevoix in early summer, it is a fine way in.

The Variétés series, programmed in parallel to the classical lineup, offers more accessible shows throughout the season: francophone songwriters, jazz-club evenings, multidisciplinary creations. That double doorway — classical and Variétés — is probably why the Domaine Forget draws a broader audience than a single specialist chapel of music lovers.

Practical: getting there, tickets and good habits

The Domaine is at 5, rang Saint-Antoine, Saint-Irénée. From La Malbaie, take the scenic Route 362 westbound — about thirty minutes to the rang Saint-Antoine turnoff on the heights. Parking is free on site; arriving thirty minutes early is wise, as the grounds (gardens, café, gift shop) are part of the experience before and after the concert. The full schedule and ticket office are at domaineforget.com.

If you are booking several evenings, reserving restaurants early matters — tables in La Malbaie and Saint-Irénée fill quickly in high season. Our guide to the best restaurants in La Malbaie suggests a few ways to combine dinner with a concert evening. To extend an afternoon, the McLaren Chapel in Port-au-Persil and the Port-au-Persil wharf sit on the same scenic road, only a few minutes from the Domaine.

For a wider view of what else to plan around the festival, see our things to do in Charlevoix guide or the article on historic sites of Charlevoix. Programming two or three concerts in a single week also opens up the afternoons for a slower discovery of the region — a lunch in Saint-Irénée, a riverside walk, a stop at a Baie-Saint-Paul fromagerie. That contrast, between the concentration of an evening of music and the slow tempo of a Charlevoix day, is what gives the festival its particular quality.

To rent two luxury chalets in La Malbaie (Cap-à-l'Aigle), Charlevoix, Charlevoix Chalets offers Le Littoral chalet with heated pool, sauna and spa and L'Embâcle chalet with heated pool and spa. Book your stay online or call 418-476-1442.