Musica Antiqua Bruges

The MAfestival Brugge, short for the festival Musica Antiqua Bruges in Bruges, Belgium, is a festival of ancient music and historically informed performances, started in 1960. The program includes concerts, master classes, conferences, visits in the region, exhibitions, instrument market, and international competitions that concentrates in a three-year cycle on organ, harpsichord, pianoforte and other period instruments, vocals, and baroque ensembles. The specialised festival is part of the Festival of Flanders.

From the beginning, the organisers aimed to not simply present concerts. They wanted to show the highlights from the city's past and provide a meeting place for specialists, performers, instrument makers, educators, students, and music lovers. Music making has been complemented by exhibitions and fairs, interpretation courses and master classes, forums, lectures, and guided visits to historic instruments in Flanders. Concert performances are focused on lesser-known music until about 1800.

The international competitions Musica Antiqua started in 1964 with a three-year-cycle of organ, followed the next year by harpsichord, basso continuo and since 1983 also fortepiano. In 1972, the competition was expanded by a third triennial cycle for recorder, other instruments, singers (since 1984) and ensembles.

Jurors have included Gustav Leonhardt, Thurston Dart, Barbara Schlick, Barthold Kuijken, Wieland Kuijken, Wolfgang Brunner, Florian Heyerick, Ton Koopman, Frans Brüggen, Anner Bylsma, Xavier Darasse, Michel Chapuis and Scott Ross.

Winners have included James David Christie (USA, 1st prize 1979), Masaaki Suzuki (Japan, 3rd prize 1982), Andrea Marcon (Italy, 5th prize 1985) and Christian Schmitt (Germany, 3rd prize 2000).

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