Festival Rhénan
The new classical music festival of Strasbourg — 1st edition from June 25 to July 4, 2026
About Festival Rhénan
Heir to the Alsace-Lorraine Music Festivals (1905-1913) and the Strasbourg International Music Festival created in 1932, the Rhenish Festival revives the great tradition of classical music in Strasbourg. Supported by a citizen association of professional and amateur musicians and volunteer music lovers, this new festival aims to open classical music to new audiences, encourage the (re)discovery of composers, and do justice to female composers still too underrepresented in concert programs.
An Exceptional Musical Heritage
Strasbourg hosted the Alsace-Lorraine Music Festivals from 1905, then created France's first music festival in 1932, which saw legendary conductors such as Gustav Mahler and Wilhelm Furtwängler. After the disappearance of this festival from the Strasbourg cultural scene, the Rhenish Festival takes over to revive this tradition of excellence.
A Citizen Initiative
The Rhenish Festival was born from a citizen initiative led by professional and amateur musicians as well as music lovers, all volunteers, gathered within a 1901 law association chaired by Jean-Jacques Fix. The festival aims to offer moderate prices to promote accessibility and eventually wishes to develop a Franco-German dimension.
1st Edition — Summer 2026
The first edition of the Rhenish Festival takes place from June 25 to July 4, 2026, in Strasbourg and its surroundings. The program includes: three classical music concerts featuring the Strasbourg Philharmonic Orchestra, pianist Adam Laloum, Duo Geister, organist Thierry Escaich, and young conductor Swann Van Rechem, winner of the Besançon International Competition for Young Conductors 2023. The 2026 edition celebrates the 180th anniversary of the birth of the Alsatian pianist and composer Marie Jaëll, whose 2nd piano concerto will be performed by Adam Laloum.
Festival Rhénan — edition 2026
First edition of the Festival Rhénan, a new classical music festival in Strasbourg, from June 25 to July 4, 2026. Three exceptional concerts featuring the Orchestre philharmonique de Strasbourg, pianist Adam Laloum, Duo Geister (piano four hands), organist and composer Thierry Escaich, and marimbist Vassilena Serafimova, under the direction of young conductor Swann Van Rechem. This edition celebrates the 180th anniversary of the birth of Alsatian composer Marie Jaëll.
1st Edition — From June 25 to July 4, 2026
The Festival Rhénan inaugurates its first edition with three classical music concerts spread over ten days in three emblematic venues in Strasbourg and its surroundings. Supported by a citizen association of volunteer musicians and music lovers, this new festival revives the great musical tradition of Strasbourg and honors the Alsatian composer Marie Jaëll on the occasion of the 180th anniversary of her birth.
Guest Artists
- Orchestre philharmonique de Strasbourg — closing symphonic concert
- Adam Laloum — pianist, performer of Marie Jaëll's Piano Concerto No. 2
- Duo Geister (David Salmon and Manuel Vieillard) — piano four hands and two pianos
- Thierry Escaich — titular organist of Saint-Sulpice and composer, in an organ duo with Vincent Dubois
- Vincent Dubois — titular organist of Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Strasbourg
- Vassilena Serafimova — marimbist, French premiere of Emmanuel Séjourné's Concerto No. 2
- Swann Van Rechem — conductor, triple laureate of the Besançon International Competition for Young Conductors 2023
Programme Festival Rhénan 2026
Thursday, June 25, 2026 — Opening Concert
8:00 PM — Grande salle de l'Illiade, Illkirch-Graffenstaden
Duo Geister (David Salmon and Manuel Vieillard) — piano four hands and two pianos
- Marie Jaëll — Twelve Waltzes for Piano Four Hands
- Johannes Brahms — Hungarian Dances for piano four hands (selection)
- Sergueï Rachmaninov — Fantaisie-tableaux, Suite No. 1 for two pianos
- Alexandre Scriabine — Poem of Ecstasy (arrangement for two pianos)
Thursday, July 2, 2026 — Concert at the Cathedral
8:00 PM — Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Strasbourg
Vincent Dubois and Thierry Escaich (organ) · Swann Van Rechem (conductor) · Musicians from HEAR and OPS (brass and percussion)
- Paul Dukas — Fanfare to precede La Péri
- Henri Tomasi — Liturgical Fanfares
Saturday, July 4, 2026 — Closing Concert
8:00 PM — Palais de la Musique et des Congrès, Salle Erasme, Strasbourg
Orchestre philharmonique de Strasbourg · Swann Van Rechem (conductor) · Adam Laloum (piano) · Vassilena Serafimova (marimba)
- Ludwig van Beethoven — Coriolan Overture
- Marie Jaëll — Piano Concerto No. 2 (soloist: Adam Laloum)
- Emmanuel Séjourné — Fantasia and Concerto No. 2 for Marimba and Orchestra (French premiere, soloist: Vassilena Serafimova)
- Igor Stravinski — The Firebird (1919 version)
Highlights Festival Rhénan 2026
- 1st edition of this new classical music festival in Strasbourg
- 180th anniversary of the birth of Alsatian composer Marie Jaëll
- Closing symphonic concert with the Orchestre philharmonique de Strasbourg
- Piano recital by Duo Geister (Rachmaninov, Scriabine, Brahms, Jaëll)
- Dubois-Escaich organ duo at Cathédrale Notre-Dame
- French premiere of Emmanuel Séjourné's Marimba Concerto No. 2 by Vassilena Serafimova
- Adam Laloum performs Marie Jaëll's 2nd piano concerto
Prices Festival Rhénan 2026
Practical information — Festival Rhénan
Concert Venues
- Grande salle de l'Illiade — Illkirch-Graffenstaden (opening concert, June 25)
- Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Strasbourg (July 2 concert)
- Palais de la Musique et des Congrès, Salle Erasme — Strasbourg (closing concert, July 4)
Ticketing
Tickets on sale exclusively via Fnac Ticketing: online at rhenanmusique.fnacspectacles.com or at the FNAC Strasbourg counter, Place Kléber. Ticket sales open on April 20, 2026.
Contact
Phone: 06 80 23 28 45
Official website: festival-rhenan-musique.fr
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