Statement by REMA and its members for Early Music Day

On 22 January in Malta, during the REMA General Assembly, the members of the network began the creation of a REMA Manifesto. Through open discussion and collective reflection, we started shaping a document that will express our shared vision and priorities as the European network for early music. Over the coming months, the REMA Board and Office will continue developing it, before it is presented at the REMA Summit in Bruges in November 2026.

What became clear in Malta is both simple and inspiring: early music is not just a repertoire to be preserved, but a living European heritage to be activated. It is a practice rooted in curiosity, research and artistic exploration. By engaging deeply with the past, we aim to make it resonate meaningfully in the present. Early music is not about nostalgia; it is about understanding where we come from in order to imagine where we are going.

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Our field also reflects diversity and connection. For centuries, composers, musicians and ideas have travelled across borders. Europe is polyphony: a coexistence of voices. Today, every ensemble, festival and academy continues this transnational dialogue, connecting countries, generations and audiences. In a fragmented world, early music creates spaces for encounter — live, shared and profoundly human.

Our ecosystem is equally defined by initiative and singularity. Agile, research-driven and often led by freelance artists, it stands at the crossroads of art and heritage, science and creativity. REMA’s role is to represent this unique model: a living, interdependent cultural “forest”, rather than a fortress.

On Early Music Day, 21 March, we reaffirm that early music is a living European musical heritage, and a powerful ambassador for international cultural dialogue and diplomacy.