Description
This year, the Nice Classic Festival 2026 is presenting a program inspired by Yves Saint Laurent, to whom its partner, the Matisse Museum, is dedicating an exhibition.
Curated by concert pianist Marie Josèphe Jude, the festival’s artistic director and president of the Nice International Summer Academy, this rich and inclusive 2026 edition will feature 24 events spanning all concert formats: chamber music, recitals, orchestral performances, carte blanche, as well as dance performances.
In the unique and marvelous setting of the Cloister of the Monastery of Cimiez—the only time of year it is open to the general public—the festival will host 11 concerts and 4 concerts by students of the Academy.
The audience will navigate between the French elegance of the opening “French Touch,” an evening with Georges Sand, chic and thrills from Vienna to Buenos Aires, a dazzling “Rite of Spring,” a literary and musical performance centered on Anna Magdalena Bach (with Marie Christine Barrault), cinematic inspirations with Barry Lyndon, a “fashion week” featuring 2 pianos and 5 pianists, a closing concert with a jazz twist, and more...
Near the cloister, the Matisse Museum will host three lunchtime concerts, offering intimate, special musical moments (reservations required as seating is limited). The Conservatory will round out this artistic journey with one dance performance and three live performances by young talents from the Academy.
Between major events, the discovery of young artists, and the interplay between music, heritage, and creativity, “in this place where history, light, and beauty resonate, music becomes more than an art of the moment: it is undoubtedly here that music and the world of Yves Saint Laurent meet most truly: in this rare ability to honor the past without ever giving up on creating the future," Marie Josèphe Jude.
