Summer 2026
The Festival at a Glance
The first summer festival under the leadership of Sebastian Nordmann, the new Executive and Artistic Director, will explore the theme “American Dreams,” featuring more than 120 events across 32 days, from 13 August to 13 September. Nordmann’s programming preserves the artistic core of Switzerland’s largest classical music festival while continuing to advance its profile: leading international soloists and orchestras form the basis of the concert calendar, with 20 symphony orchestras appearing within the span of a single month. The Lucerne Festival Orchestra presents six evening concerts as well as two “Classical Music for All: 40min” events. The Lucerne Festival Academy is led for the first time by its new Artistic Director, the composer, clarinetist, and conductor Jörg Widmann. New elements run throughout all areas of the programming, such as the innovative concert format “Mittendrin,” special offers for children and young people through the “Look Listen Enjoy” initiative, and the new event “Classical Music for All: Open Air” on the evening before the official opening. This year’s “artiste étoile” is violinist Augustin Hadelich, who will appear in four concerts, while Mark Andre serves as composer-in-residence.
Summer Festival: Complete Concert Schedule
“American Dreams”
Through its theme “American Dreams,” Lucerne Festival will explore the rich and varied history of American music, spanning a broad spectrum of stylistic traditions and cultural influences – from musical theater and film music to jazz and minimalism. The Opening Concert on 14 August features works by George Gershwin and Charles Ives, with the Lucerne Festival Orchestra under Music Director Riccardo Chailly; in addition, soloists from the Lucerne Festival Contemporary Orchestra (LFCO) perform Steve Reich's New York Counterpoint in a version for eleven clarinets. The Closing Concert on 13 September is devoted to Gershwin’s Porgy and Bess, with the Chineke! Orchestra joined by the Cape Town Opera Vocal Ensemble, conducted by Kwamé Ryan. Works by numerous American composers are featured throughout the festival. Several of these are being heard at Lucerne Festival for the first time, such as Charles Ives’s Symphony No. 1 with the Lucerne Festival Orchestra, as well as Aaron Copland’s Appalachian Spring, and Samuel Barber’s Piano Concerto, which will be performed by Yuja Wang with the Mahler Chamber Orchestra. Lucerne Festival welcomes Augustin Hadelich, an American by choice and the summer’s “artiste étoile,” alongside many other guests from the “New World,” from young poet Amanda Gorman and clarinetist Doreen Ketchens to the Met Orchestra under Yannick Nézet-Séguin.
All Works Related to “American Dreams”
What’s New?
In his first Summer Festival, Sebastian Nordmann introduces a series of new directions that further shape the Festival’s profile and open up new perspectives on the concert experience. News:
- On 13 August, the evening before the official Opening Concert, Lucerne Festival introduces two new event formats: “Overture” in the KKL Concert Hall and “Classical Music for All: Open Air” under the stars. Offering contrasting approaches to music-making, the two events extend the Festival experience beyond the traditional symphonic concert. “Overture” features the Lucerne Festival Orchestra in the KKL Concert Hall. Then, starting at 9:00 p.m., “Classical Music for All: Open Air” takes place on the Europaplatz, where audiences can experience horn player Sarah Willis with musicians of the Havana Lyceum Orchestra in an open-air performance. Presented under the shared motto “A Cuban-Classical Night,” both events are free of charge.
- In the immersive concert format “Mittendrin,” audience members sit among the musicians on stage as the Budapest Festival Orchestra, led by Iván Fischer, performs a suite from Sergei Prokofiev’s ballet Cinderella. This format creates a distinctive atmosphere and offers a fresh perspective on the interaction between orchestra and conductor – an experience usually reserved for the musicians themselves. The popular “Classical Music for All: 40min” format will also continue.
- The newly conceived Lucerne street music festival, now called “In the Streets: City Stage” and presented in cooperation with guerillaclassics, offers six days of announced performances as well as unexpected pop-up concerts in locations across the city. From 25 to 30 August, young musicians from the Lucerne Festival Academy, joined by additional ensembles, will bring music to the streets of Lucerne, performing as a marching band or in a “Symphonic Jukebox” format. The detailed concert schedule will be available on the website beginning in April.
- Moving beyond the classical repertoire, the Hamburg-based techno marching band MEUTE brings its signature brass-driven techno sound to Lucerne Hall on the festival’s final weekend. The eleven musicians combine the acoustic instruments of a marching band with techno, basing their stage show on newly arranged techno and house tracks by well-known DJs, alongside original material.
- The new Flex subscription, “Fan Zone,” lets fans of the Lucerne Festival Orchestra select four of their favorite concerts from the orchestra’s six-program lineup and enjoy them up close from the organ loft – all for just CHF 200.
- The “Look Listen Enjoy” initiative expands the festival’s offer for younger concertgoers. For the first time, audiences can select any concert or recital in the KKL Concert Hall and bring a child or teenager along for just CHF 10.