The political will originated in the Calvados department, which wanted to develop a high quality cultural programme as close as possible to the local population, which was often too far from the classical tour circuits. The idea was also to promote the region’s rich architectural heritage (churches, manors, etc.) during the early part of summer, a period when few traditional cultural events took place.
Recognising the immediate success of the initiative, the Manche and Orne departments and the regional council of Lower-Normandy rapidly joined quickly the project. Today it is one of their leading festivals, an exemplary operation spreading cultural events widely throughout the region. It is supported by a joint funding agreement between the four parties, renewable every 2 years.

The artistic skills comes from a small team of volunteers who are crazy about choral singing. In 40 years of enthusiastic work they have built an unique polyphonic vocal music international network reaching the four corners of the world, with connections to the main international organizations (IFCM, ECA-EC, etc.). The festival was born in 1995 under the name of "L'art et la Fugue", which became "Polyfollia" (more understandable for worldwide communication).
Since 1995 the festival has been managed by the original team, which has now expanded to include permanent staff, technical crew and more than 150 volunteers.

Discover the choirs that participated in the Summer Festival.