“A matter of passion for Brittany and music” is the friendship that has united the Carantec native Gaëlle Le Breton and the musician Frédéric Lagarde for some 40 years, which is at the origin of the classical and groove music festival Ad Lib. “Ad Lib”, to “bring a note of freedom to the festival,” comments the founder of the event, which celebrated its tenth anniversary in 2025.
For this eleventh edition, in Carantec, in the Morlaix region, the organizers chose to focus on “a very demanding discipline in English-speaking countries”: the musical comedy. “It’s a monstrous industry, which generates money but also talent,” insists Gaëlle Le Breton. “In France, it is more considered as a sub-discipline. However, musical comedy is the incarnation of joy. There is happiness in the light that goes out and the curtain that rises.” For an event that holds diversity as a motto, highlighting another musical genre, combining dance, theater, and music, was obvious.
Musical comedy evening
On Friday, May 22, the festival will open with “An Evening on Broadway,” at the Roudour. “A stage that is modest in scale,” comments the organizer, but demanding. The festival chooses to stage a variety of works, from West Side Story to Michel Legrand, passing through the greats Gershwin and Sondheim.
Funk at the Ho Penn Bar
On Saturday, May 23, a funk evening is scheduled at the Ho Penn Bar in Carantec, starting at 9:30 pm. The quintet Tiny Big, “small but strong, tight, as they say in funk,” composed of local musicians, will perform their original compositions there.
Exchange time at the Kelenn hall
It has been the other side of Ad Lib since its creation in 2016. To offer a stage to new talents and interact with the audience. On Sunday, May 24, Frédéric Lagarde will hold a concert-conference at the Kelenn hall. “We have called it the Music Salon of Kelenn,” specifies Gaëlle Le Breton. “In the image of the Proustian salons of the 19th century, we gather amongst ourselves, in an informal dimension.” Accompanied by his piano, Frédéric Lagarde will alternate between musical performances and exchange moments.
Except for the opening night on Friday, entry to the concerts is free and paid by donation—electronically! No more cash, the audience is invited to bring out their cell phones.
