About

Early Music Day is a celebration of more than a millennium of music, through concerts, events, and happenings taking place simultaneously across Europe. It is a focal point for the promotion of the historical musical heritage in Europe. Every year, an ambassador is chosen to represent the event, and hundreds of participants add their event to the official programme, and participate in a global celebration!

Early music is a central part of the cultural heritage shared by Europeans, closely connected with other artistic expressions such as dance, theatre, and architecture. It spans more than 1000 years of music, written down or transmitted by oral tradition, from the Middle Ages to the end of the 18th century. While some of the composers of these eras are widely known, there is a large repertoire still to be re-discovered by today’s audiences. The Early Music Day aims to increase awareness of the music from the medieval, renaissance and baroque periods and bring it to the attention of a wider audience.

Early Music Day is a REMA project, launched in 2013, initiated by its past president Peter Pontvik. REMA, the official promoter and coordinator of the celebration, is the representative network for Early Music in Europe, composed by 176 members in over 20 countries. The network and its members organise concerts, conferences, and other events under the Early Music Day heading, but the celebration is of course open to every organisation and partner interested in joining! Early Music Day is an important online event as well, with concerts being live streamed, reaching audiences in the whole world.

A strong partnership with the media is essential to the impact and visibility of Early Music Day. The European Broadcasting Union (EBU) has been a partner to the event since its first edition in 2013. Partnerships between REMA members/other organisers involved in the project and local, regional and national media in each country complement the European aspect.