Since 2002 education has been given a central place during the Festival with the introduction of master classes. Ensembles that do not proceed to the finals can participate in a master class, a lesson lasting one hour with a top specialist in Early Music, one of the jury members. For these ensembles the master class is offered as a “soft landing” for not reaching the finals and hopefully leads to intensive and valuable moments for students, teachers and audience.

In addition, an expert in Early Music will be invited to give a lecture on a topic that is close to their heart. In the past, lectures have been given by Gustav Leonhardt, Anner Bijlsma and Sigiswald Kuijken.