The Festival d’Aix-en-Provence has announced its programme for 2–21 July 2026, presenting a season structured around themes of initiation, transformation, and the fragile boundaries between light and darkness. Although Ted Huffman has been appointed General Director, the artistic programme was conceived by Pierre Audi, who died earlier this year, making the 2026 edition part of the continuity of his final artistic vision.
The Festival frames this programme around questions of human experience in times of uncertainty, bringing together works from the core operatic repertoire alongside contemporary creations and concert performances.
Mozart at the opening of the Festival
The Festival opens with a new production of Die Zauberflöte by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, marking the first collaboration at Aix between conductor Leonardo García-Alarcón and stage director Clément Cogitore. García-Alarcón leads Cappella Mediterranea, while Cogitore’s staging places the opera’s initiatory narrative in a contemporary visual framework focused on childhood and transmission. The cast includes Ying Fang, Mauro Peter, Sabine Devieilhe, Sean Michael Plumb, and Brindley Sherratt.
Mozart also appears later in the Festival with the return of Romeo Castellucci’s staging of the Requiem, first presented in Aix in 2019. Conducted by Raphaël Pichon, this production combines Mozart’s unfinished mass with additional musical material and choreographic elements. Soloists include Mélissa Petit, Beth Taylor, Duke Kim, and Alex Rosen, with Pygmalion providing the choral and orchestral forces.
Strauss, Bartók, and journeys into darkness
A central operatic project of the season is Richard Strauss’s Die Frau ohne Schatten, presented in a new production conducted by Klaus Mäkelä, who makes his pit debut at the Festival with the Orchestre de Paris. The production is staged by Barrie Kosky and features Michael Spyres, Vida Miknevičiūtė, Nina Stemme, Brian Mulligan, and Tamara Wilson. The work’s symbolic exploration of humanity, responsibility, and sacrifice aligns with the Festival’s broader thematic framing.
Mäkelä also conducts Béla Bartók’s Bluebeard’s Castle in concert version. Performed by the Orchestre de Paris, the cast brings together Gerald Finley as Bluebeard and Irene Roberts as Judith. The pairing of Bartók’s opera with Strauss’s work underlines shared concerns with psychological initiation and moral ambiguity.
Contemporary opera and political memory
The Festival’s commitment to contemporary creation is reflected in the world premiere of Accabadora by Francesco Filidei, based on the novel by Michela Murgia. Set in 1950s Sardinia, the chamber opera centres on a figure rooted in local ritual practices surrounding death and care. Lucie Leguay conducts the Orchestre de l’Opéra de Lyon, with staging by Valentina Carrasco. The principal roles are sung by Noa Frenkel, Rachel Masclet, Lodovico Filippo Ravizza, and Victoire Bunel.
Another work engaging directly with historical testimony is Hans Werner Henze’s El Cimarrón, presented in a new production directed by Elayce Ismail. Based on the life of former Cuban slave Esteban Montejo, the piece is performed in English by baritone Eric Greene, accompanied by a small instrumental ensemble. The work forms part of the Festival’s focus on 20th-century music theatre and politically engaged narratives.
Grand opera in concert
Opera in concert remains a significant strand of the programme. Giuseppe Verdi’s Les Vêpres siciliennes is performed under Daniele Rustioni with the Chœur et Orchestre de l’Opéra de Lyon. The cast includes Karine Deshayes, making her role debut as Hélène, alongside John Osborn, Nicola Alaimo, and Christian Van Horn.
Recitals, symphonic concerts, and the Académie
The concert programme includes a wide range of vocal and instrumental recitals. Sonya Yoncheva appears with Cappella Mediterranea, while Benjamin Bernheim presents a programme combining French mélodie and opera excerpts. Michael Spyres performs lieder by Wagner, Mahler, and Strauss, and Ailyn Pérez makes her first appearance at the Festival, accompanied by Julius Drake.
Symphonic concerts feature Pygmalion and baritone Stéphane Degout under Raphaël Pichon, as well as a programme by Klangforum Wien dedicated to composers from post-Soviet regions. The Mediterranean Youth Orchestra, conducted by Sora Elisabeth Lee, continues the Festival’s engagement with emerging musicians from the region.
The Académie du Festival remains integrated into the programme through concerts linked to its voice and instrumental residencies, with guidance from artists such as Dorothea Röschmann, Leonardo García-Alarcón, and Pierre-Laurent Aimard, who also gives two piano recitals.
Jazz and Mediterranean perspectives
Jazz and Mediterranean concerts complete the programme, with performances by Samara Joy, Karim Sulayman with Sean Shibe, Layale Chaker & Sarafand, and the Aga Khan Master Musicians. Several of these events form part of France’s Mediterranean Season 2026, which focuses on cultural exchange and diasporic identities.
With its combination of repertory works, contemporary opera, and concert programming, the 2026 Festival d’Aix-en-Provence reflects a continuation of Pierre Audi’s final artistic direction, while marking a transitional moment in the Festival’s institutional leadership.
For full programme details, see the Festival d’Aix-en-Provence’s official website: festival-aix.com
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