Aix-en-Provence
Aix-en-Provence Festival
From 8 July to 12 July 2026
Type of stay

Musical journeys

Availability

Inscriptions ouvertes

Price

From €2,750 per person

Ask a tourist to name a country where life is good, and many would mention our beautiful nation. Ask them to be more specific about the region, and alongside Paris, Provence would almost certainly rise to the very top of the list. With its incomparable light, Aix-en-Provence stands at the epicenter of this magnificent region. Countless charming squares adorned with fountains dot this human-scale city, where both the eye and the palate are constantly delighted. The undisputed highlight of the year, the lyric Festival has been enchanting the people of Aix and music lovers from around the world since 1948.

 

The 2026 edition is a special one, as in May 2025 the sudden death of Pierre Audi, the festival’s general director, was announced, leaving singers and musicians—many of whom he had helped bring to prominence—deeply shaken. In tribute to him, audiences will be able to hear in July the extraordinary Requiem by Mozart, staged by Romeo Castellucci, which had been the very first opera presented when Audi took up his post in 2019. Now led by the young and brilliant Ted Huffman, the Provençal festival will also celebrate Mozart with a brand-new production of The Magic Flute by the prodigious duo of Clément Cogitore as stage director and Leonardo García-Alarcón as musical director. In addition to a recital by Benjamin Bernheim, singing in Aix for the first time, Strauss’s The Woman Without a Shadow will feature the highly anticipated opera-pit debut of Klaus Mäkelä. A season of resilience and forward-looking ambition, the 78th Festival d’Aix-en-Provence promises powerful, unforgettable musical emotions.

 

 

Crédits photos :

  • Don Giovanni © Pascal Victor / Artcomart
  • Grand Théâtre de Provence © Jean-Claude Carbonne
  • Requiem, Festival d’Aix-en-Provence 2019 © Pascal Victor
The program
Benjamin Bernheim | Qiaochu Li
Wednesday 8 July 2026
The Woman without a Shadow, by R. Strauss
Thursday 9 July 2026
Requiem, by W. A. Mozart
Friday 10 July 2026
The Magic Flute, by W. A. Mozart
Saturday 11 July 2026
WEDNESDAY 8 JULY 2026

Free arrival and private transfer to Aix-en-Provence. Installation to your hotel.

Day and meals at leisure.

 

7 p.m., at the Grand Théâtre de Provence:

BENJAMIN BERNHEIM | QIAOCHU LI

Benjamin Bernheim Mezzo-soprano
Qiaochu Li

 

Piano

 

Programme not yet revealed

 

Over the past few years, Benjamin Bernheim has established himself as the most ardent and refined French tenor of his generation: his Massenet and Puccini performances sweep us into the passionate torments of his characters. For his debut at the festival d’Aix-en-Provence, the Franco-Swiss tenor invites us into the blazing intimacy of a romantic heart. From Schumann’s admirable Dichterliebe to the sensuous Poème de l’amour et de la mer by Chausson—especially the gripping melody of the final movement (“Le temps des lilas et le temps des roses / Avec notre amour est mort à jamais”) Bernheim sings of impossible love. With eloquence, his radiant presence heals even the deepest sorrows. One of the great voices of our time reveals himself here within a setting of pure elegance. A foretaste of many more rich Aix moments to come in future editions of the festival?
THURSDAY 9 JULY 2026

Breakfast at your hotel.

Day and meals at leisure.

 

7 p.m., at the Grand Théâtre de Provence:

THE WOMAN WITHOUT A SHADOW, by R. Strauss

New production of the Festival d’Aix-en-Provence

Paris Choir and Orchestra

Klaus Mäkelä Conductor
Barrie Kosky

 

Director

 

Michael Spyres The emperor
Vida Miknevičiūtė The empress
Nina Stemme The nurse
Brian Mulligan Barak, the dyer
Tamara Wilson The dyer’s wife
Jean-Sébastien Bou The spirit’s messenger
Tomasz Kumięga The one-eyed man
Daniel Miroslaw The one-armed man
Robert Lewis The hunchback
Gloria Tronel The voice of the falcon
Héloïse Mas

 

A voice from above

 

For many, it is Richard Strauss’s most beautiful opera—the most human, the most profound, the most sumptuous. Premiered in 1919, The Woman Without a Shadow first and foremost benefits from Hugo von Hofmannsthal’s exceptional libretto, whose fairy-tale poetry directly echoes Mozart’s The Magic Flute. One can rely on the great stage director Barrie Kosky—one of the masters of our time—to breathe new life into the rich symbolic web of a story centered on an Empress and a Dyer’s Wife. One seeks the shadow she lacks, lest her husband be turned to stone; the other desperately refuses one, despite her husband’s longing. Moving between the world of spirits and the world of humans, The Woman Without a Shadow offers a haunting meditation on love and fertility, elevated by a prodigiously rich orchestral score. Perhaps never before did Strauss unleash such a torrent of symphonic music, here performed by conductor Klaus Mäkelä, making his opera-pit debut at the helm of his Orchestre de Paris. We eagerly anticipate discovering, for the first time in Aix, the lyrical temperament of the fiery Finnish musician. As for the cast, anticipation is already high for the role debut of the brilliant Michael Spyres—ever more prominent in the Germanic repertoire—as the emperor, for Vida Miknevičiūtė’s powerful empress, and for Nina Stemme’s nurse, a living legend of the international operatic stage.
FRIDAY 10 JULY 2026

Breakfast at your hotel.

Day and meals at leisure.

 

10 p.m., at the Théâtre de l’Archevêché:

REQUIEM, by W. A. Mozart

Pygmalion Choir and Orchestra
Raphaël Pichon Conductor
Romeo Castellucci

 

Director

 

Mélissa Petit Soprano
Beth Taylor Alto
Duke Kim Tenor
Alex Rosen

 

Basse

 

Since 1948, Mozart’s music has reigned supreme at the Aix festival. When Pierre Audi took over the festival in 2019, he extended this proud tradition while giving it a fresh twist. Instead of a Don Giovanni, Così fan tutte, or another operatic masterpiece, the Lebanese director inaugurated his tenure with a sumptuous Mozart Requiem, staged by Romeo Castellucci, one of today’s giants of the theater. Under the guidance of the Italian artist, Mozart’s mass for the dead becomes a strikingly humanist and metaphysical reflection. For this revival – which also serves as a tribute to Audi’s sudden passing in 2025 – the visuals of the production (to be updated) promise to be equally unforgettable: between the white of birth and the black of mourning, the blood-red of life flows irresistibly. The miracle of this production would not be complete without conductor Raphaël Pichon, who unites and elevates the musicians and singers of Ensemble Pygmalion, creating a sound of absolute truth. An exceptional evening like no other, a performance that touches us straight in the heart.
SATURDAY 11 JULY 2026

Breakfast at your hotel.

Day and meals at leisure.

 

9:30 p.m. , at the Théâtre de l’Archevêché:

THE MAGIC FLUTE, by W. A. Mozart

New production of the Festival d’Aix-en-Provence

Cappella Mediterranea Orchestra

Namur Chamber Choir

Knabenchor der Chorakademie Dortmund

Leonardo García-Alarcón Direction Musicale
Clément Cogitore

 

Mise en scène

 

Ying Fang Pamina
Mauro Peter Tamino
Sabine Devieilhe The queen of the night
Sean Michael Plumb Papageno
Brindley Sherratt Sarastro
Edwin Crossley-Mercer The speaker
Alix Le Saux 1st lady
Ashley Dixon 2nd lady
Adriana Bignagni Lesca 3rd lady
Emma Fekete Papagena
Rodolphe Briand Monostatos
Damien Pass 1st priest
Jonghyun Park

 

2nd priest

 

Whether you are seven or seventy-seven, The Magic Flute is always a wonder. As a child, one delights in its fairy-tale world, its colorful costumes, and impressive musical acrobatics—like the Queen of the Night’s aria or Papageno’s flute. Later, one is dazzled by the initiatory power of this story, whose depth is often underestimated (from Ingmar Bergman to Strehler, legendary productions abound), and by Mozart’s melodic brilliance, which alone transcends all ages and social classes worldwide. It is this original enchantment that French stage director Clément Cogitore promises in this Magic Flute. In 2019, Cogitore—also a filmmaker and recipient of the prestigious Prix Duchamp for contemporary art—revolutionized our perception of Rameau’s Les Indes Galantes by inviting urban dancers onto the stage of the Opéra Bastille. That explosive production was also praised for the feverish direction of Argentine conductor Leonardo García-Alarcón, leading the combined forces of Cappella Mediterranea and the Namur Chamber Choir. Here, once again reunited, the vocal and dramatic team aim for a light and fluid approach, seeking to recapture the wonder of that first instant. Among the singers, we look forward to Ying Fang (Pamina), Mauro Peter (Tamino), Brindley Sherratt (Sarastro), and the extraordinary Queen of the Night, Sabine Devieilhe. There is no doubt that this Magic Flute will enchant a wide audience across the gentle evenings of Aix.
Your choice of accommodation
CEZANNE ****

Just a five-minute walk from the Cours Mirabeau, museums, theaters, restaurants, and shops, the Hôtel Cézanne is a charming boutique hotel in Aix-en-Provence. It is located in the city’s historic center—a glamorous, sparkling, and exclusive address!

VILLA SAINT-ANGE *****

Housed in a perfectly restored 18th-century building, this hotel will charm you with its ideal location in the heart of Aix-en-Provence and its impeccable service. Villa Saint-Ange is an exceptional place where tradition, luxury, and innovation come together in perfect harmony. Inspired by the 18th century, the entire estate is enhanced by a Provençal garden, where you will truly enjoy strolling!

Price per person
Junior Suite package at the Cézanne hotel

€2,750 per person

 

The price of this trip includes: accommodation in a double room with breakfast for 4 nights • tourist tax • performance tickets (category 1 for July 8 concert and carré or for the three operas) • repatriation assistance.

The price of this trip does not include: extras • transport • airport transfers.

 

Individual journey.

Transport and airport transfers upon request.

 

Junior Suite for single use package at the Cézanne hotel

€3,810 per person

 

The price of this trip includes: accommodation in a double room with breakfast for 4 nights • tourist tax • performance tickets (category 1 for July 8 concert and carré or for the three operas) • repatriation assistance.

The price of this trip does not include: extras • transport • airport transfers.

 

Individual journey.

Transport and airport transfers upon request.

 

Package at the Villa Saint Ange

Price on request

 

The price of this trip includes: accommodation in a double room with breakfast for 4 nights • tourist tax • performance tickets (category 1 for July 8 concert and carré or for the three operas) • repatriation assistance.

The price of this trip does not include: extras • transport • airport transfers.

 

Individual journey.

Transport and airport transfers upon request.

 

Information about this trip
In charge of the destination
Aliénor Elbaz du Peloux
Share
Our most
recent trips
error: Content is protected !!