Giverny Piano Festival — Musée des Impressionnismes

An intimate festival led by an exceptional artist

In 2020, French pianist Vanessa Wagner — an internationally recognized artist for her interpretation of both classical repertoire and contemporary and minimalist composers — founded the Giverny Piano Festival at the Musée des Impressionnismes. Her ambition: to offer a space for encounter between music and visual arts, in an emblematic Impressionist heritage site, a stone's throw from the legendary gardens of Claude Monet.

The museum, designed by architect Philippe Robert, offers remarkable acoustics and natural light that make it an ideal setting for the piano. Each edition features a weekend of recitals bringing together leading pianists, whose programming echoes the current exhibitions. The festival explores a wide repertoire, from baroque to contemporary, including romanticism, musical impressionism, and minimalism.

Editions marked by excellence and emotion

Since its creation, the Giverny Piano Festival has hosted major artists from the international piano scene. The 2024 edition, the fourth, brought together Jean-Baptiste Fonlupt, Philippe Cassard, Einav Yarden, and Vanessa Wagner herself for four recitals echoing the exhibition 'Impressionism and the Sea'. The 2025 edition, the festival's fifth anniversary, was dedicated to Maurice Ravel on the occasion of the 150th anniversary of his birth, bringing together ten renowned artists over two weekends.

Among the guest pianists over the years are Tanguy de Williencourt, the Trio Zeliha, Aurélien Pascal and Sélim Mazari, Jodyline Gallavardin, Antoine Préat, Wilhem Latchoumia, David Kadouch, Jean-Paul Gasparian, and Marie-Josèphe Jude.

Music and painting in dialogue

The originality of the Giverny Piano Festival lies in the dialogue it establishes between music and visual arts. Each program is designed in resonance with the museum's exhibitions: when the museum explores Impressionism and the sea, the recitals evoke Debussy, Ravel, and composers inspired by water and light. When an exhibition highlights a pictorial movement, the piano brings its sonic correspondences to life.

This dialogue between the senses — sight and hearing, canvas and keyboard — anchors the festival in the very spirit of Impressionism: capturing the moment, conveying emotion, translating light into vibration. With its intimate format, its leading artists, and its unique setting, the Giverny Piano Festival has established itself in just a few editions as one of Normandy's most refined musical events.