Musica Sacra Maastricht

Every third weekend of September, the Maastricht city center is entirely dedicated to Musica Sacra Maastricht. The three-day festival is always based around an annually changing theme that fulfills the key role throughout the programme. The festival theme of 2024 is Free will (Uit vrije wil).

Pioneering programme
The programme covers the full breadth of genres, styles and eras, performed by top (inter)national musicians and ensembles with new and young talent. Besides the music programming, an extensive programme of theatre, film, dance, exhibition, lectures and excursions is offered. Many programme elements are specially produced for Musica Sacra Maastricht and will be premiered during the festival.

Free will (Uit vrije wil)
One of the paradoxes of present times is the combination of the belief in a socially engineered society and the undermining of free will. For a feasible society, on the contrary, we are dependent on each other, while when it comes to decisions we can make ourselves, such as quiting narcotics or the exhibition of phobic behaviour, the existence of free will is quite often disputed. On the question of whether or not free will exists, thinkers have been racking their brains for centuries. From Confucius to Kant and from Spinoza to Sartre; no one came to a clear conclusion. While man can do what he wants, he cannot want what he wants, according to Schopenhauer. Is that true? Should we perhaps distinguish freedom of will and weakness of will? And what about vocation, or precisely: missing your vocation? In this festival edition, you get to answer those questions for yourself. Or not - depending on the existence of your free will.

Ticket sales 
Ticket sales for the complete festival will start on Wednesday 17 July. Friends of Musica Sacra have priority on sale and can order their tickets from Monday 15 July.

Previous editions
Festival themes of recent years were: ‘The way’ (2015), ‘Sacrifice of Love’ (2016), ‘In the Beginning’ (2017), ‘Reciprocate - Forgive - Reconcile’ (2018), ‘Praying & Begging’ (2019), 'Acceptance and Resignation' (2020), 'Mother Earth' (2021), 'Exodus' (2022) and 'Mercy' (2023).