The festival Reconciliation is a young festival based in the Stavanger region of Norway. Our vision is guided by the United Nations Agenda 2030 and its Sustainable Development Goals. We believe and want to demonstrate that art and science together can help build a more beautiful world and create a stronger social bond. The festival gives priority to active participation, in particular by seeking to involve children and young people, the citizens of tomorrow. During a week of concerts, workshops and encounters with artists, the public is invited to share in the artistic experience as a force for reconciliation with Nature and a transformative force in society.

The theme of the^3rd edition in 2025 is “Roots”. The public will travel through time, cultures and the personal stories of men and women artists and scientists. Guests will share their reflections on how they are evolving their cultural heritage in the contemporary context. The festival will also support the project, Songs of Travela Creative Europe trans-national cooperation initiative that aims to raise awareness and promote empathy for climate change and migration. We are delighted to bring together leading artists from Norway, Europe and Africa for a week of sharing, learning and excitement.

The festival pays tribute to the French-Polish scientist Marie Curie, born Maria Sklodowska. The first woman to win the Nobel Prize for Physics, she also received the Nobel Prize for Chemistry in 1911. Her exceptional career reminds us how vital it still is to promote education, culture and equality between women and men. We are proud to contribute to bringing to life the passion for science in the service of humanity, by placing this exceptional woman at the heart of the Réconciliation festival.

Program

Wednesday, August 20, 2025

• Opening concert and national launch of UNESCO Sound Week in Norway: Sandnes at 7:30 pm

A festive concert with most of the guest artists, celebrating roots and diversity.

Thursday, August 21, 2025

• Concert at Sola Ruinkyrkje – at 7:30pm. On the theme of cultural heritage from North and South

Friday, August 22, 2025

• Workshops in cultural centers

Saturday, August 23, 2025

• Workshops in cultural centers

• Evening concert at 7:30 p.m.: Sankt Petri Church

First tribute concert to Marie Curie-Sklodowska: “Manya’s childhood”, Polish-themed chamber music

Sunday, August 24, 2025

• Concert at 2:00 pm: Stavanger Konserthus, (to be confirmed) in partnership with the Norsk Orgel festival

Carte Blanche with organists and composers Nils Henrik Asheim and Thierry Escaich.

• Closing concert at 7:30 p.m.: Sankt Petri Church

Second tribute concert to Marie Curie: music by Clara and Robert Schumann to celebrate the couple Pierre and Marie Curie, plus special surprises from our musical and scientific guests.

The final program will be announced in early May.

Free events and World Ocean Day 2025:

Workshops/meetings will be organized in the cultural centers of Stavanger, Sola and Sandnes. All workshops are part of the Semaine du Son Unesco theme.

1. Discovering traditional instruments from Norway and around the world.

2. Scientific workshops: “physics of music” with festival director Nirina Haller and “nuclear physics” with the voluntary participation of Aleksi Kurkela (CERN) and Yves Quéré (Académie des Sciences).

3. Slam workshop with Sarah Camille Osmundsen and her musicians. This workshop invites young participants (aged 12-17) to discover the project Songs of Travelan initiative by 5 music festivals in Europe to raise public awareness of migration and climate change.

Beach clean-ups in collaboration with the association Clean Shores has been a regular feature of the festival since its inception, as has the yoga session in nature… and in music! These 2 events make the festival part of the UN World Ocean Day calendar.