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Joliette, March 18, 2026 – From July 3 to August 2, let yourself be carried away by a summer of music at the Festival de Lanaudière. Between works from the past and voices of today, between local talents and distinguished international guests, between artists and audiences, between music and the landscape that welcomes it, the Festival presents more than 25 concerts, must-see events and unexpected discoveries, promising moments that are as unique as they are majestic.
“Each summer, music brings us together to listen to the world differently. It opens a space where memory, imagination, and the desire for the future meet, a space where the Festival’s new season takes shape. I look forward to welcoming you back to Lanaudière this summer to share, together, in this essential conversation that is music.”
– Renaud Loranger, Artistic Director of the Festival de Lanaudière
“The Festival de Lanaudière is a meeting place between exceptional artists, inspiring venues, and the warm hospitality of a region. From the grand concerts at the Amphitheatre to performances in churches and agrotourism sites, everything comes together to offer festivalgoers a rich, welcoming musical experience deeply rooted in the territory. Once again this year, we invite audiences to experience music differently, under the Lanaudière sky and in the heart of nature, alongside great artists who share its power and emotion.”
– Laurie‑Anne Deilgat, Executive Director of the Festival de Lanaudière
THE FESTIVAL THIS YEAR
- 11 concerts at the Amphithéâtre Fernand‑Lindsay, the largest outdoor concert venue in Canada specifically designed to showcase classical music
- 5 concerts in the region’s historic churches, in an intimate setting
- 5 Hors les murs concerts in cultural venues and agrotourism sites
- 5 free outdoor film nights
- Several free concerts and activities for music lovers of all ages, including the opening concert on July 3 at Place Bourget in downtown Joliette, featuring the ensemble Oktopus.
The Amphitheatre Series
The Festival’s major concerts
Opening Concert: Gala de la Terre – Nicolas Ellis conducts The Rite of Spring
Saturday, July 4 at 7:30 p.m.
A true sensation at its creation, the Rite of Spring always impresses, as much for its audacious rhythms as for its brilliant virtuosity. To open the Festival, Nicolas Ellis and l’Orchestre de l’Agora brings you a surge of shimmering colours and suave exoticism, in Stravinsky’s vision of a “sacred Pagan rite.” This follows Inuit throat singing, Claude Champagne’s evocation of an ancient natural setting, performed by Lydia Etok and Nina Segalowitz, and Ravel’s portrait of middle-eastern legend, featuring the marvellous Soprano Julie Fuchs in her début with the Festival.
Les Arts florissants by…William Christie and Les Arts Florissants!
Saturday, July 11 at 7 p.m.
For his return to the Festival, William Christie has chosen to bring us a symbolic work, the short opera by Marc-Antoine Charpentier that lends its name to the ensemble: Les Arts Florissants! Presented as a double feature with another lyric work by Charpentier, this new performance puts on display laureates of the Jardin des Voix, Les Arts Florissants’s celebrated academy for young singers. A veritable origin story, plunging us into the Grand Siècle, in the Versailles of Louis XIV where song and dance combine in an exquisite musical delight.
Avi Avital and I Musici
Sunday, July 12 at 4 p.m.
The meteoric rise of mandolinist Avi Avital captured the attention of audiences around the world. His dazzling career finally brings him to Lanaudière in a program blending Baroque gems and folk, inspired music, in a unique encounter with Montreal’s I Musici.
Charles Richard-Hamelin with the OSQ: Nordic Legends
Friday, July 17 at 8 p.m.
Since Clemens Schuldt became music director in 2023, the partnership between the Orchestre symphonique de Québec and the German conductor has been remarkable. For their Lanaudière debut, they present works that match their strengths: Edvard Grieg’s Piano Concerto, performed by Charles Richard‑Hamelin, a work by renowned Québec composer Jacques Hétu, and the orchestral fantasy by Alexander Zemlinsky based on a tale by Hans Christian Andersen, a treasure of color and poetry.
Shostakovich by Payare and the OSM
Saturday, July 18 at 7 p.m.
Rafael Payare and the Montreal Symphony Orchestra return to the Festival, this time with Shostakovich’s imposing Tenth Symphony, whose evocative power paints a vivid picture of its creator, an artist constrained and silenced by a dictatorial regime (Stalinist Russia) with which he maintained complex and inextricable ties throughout his life. In the first part, Alisa Weilerstein performs Gabriela Ortiz’s concerto, written for her and premiered last season by the Los Angeles Philharmonic.
Mozart: Portraits of Women
Friday, July 24 at 8 p.m.
Every visit of Bernard Labadie and Les Violons du Roy to Lanaudière is a highlight, and this new collaboration undoubtedly confirms that tradition. This year, the conductor and his musicians present a selection of Mozart’s most iconic female characters, a perfect showcase for the talent and superlative vocalism of soprano Hanna-Elisabeth Müller, star of the Vienna State Opera, in her first concert in Canada.
The OSM and Jean-Yves Thibaudet: Invitations to a Journey
Saturday, July 25 at 7 p.m.
For the return of the renowned pianist Jean-Yves Thibaudet to the Amphitheatre stage, one concerto is a must: Saint-Saëns famous Fifth, known as “The Egyptian,” of which he is now the quintessential interpreter. The OSM and guest conductor Stéphane Denève respond, blending Gershwin’s abundant inventiveness and exotic verve with Jacques Ibert’s subtle evocations of Mediterranean voyages.
Nézet-Séguin and Eberle: Romantic Ecstasy
Sunday, July 26 at 4 p.m.
Between Beethoven and Tchaikovsky, two worlds are connected: the former’s nascent Romanticism and the latter’s response of tumultuous passion, raw sensitivity, pathos, and tragedy of the latter. A linear trajectory between two stars who continue to shine brightly in the highest musical firmament, the ideal setting for a captivating encounter between Yannick Nézet-Séguin, the Orchestre Métropolitain, and the magnificent violinist Veronika Eberle, returning to the Festival.
Ein Heldenleben by Payare and the OSM
Friday, July 31 at 8 p.m.
In his symphonic poem Ein Heldenleben (A Hero’s Life), Richard Strauss portrays himself: the artist in love, the heroic creator, the genius grappling with the world. It is also, more than a century later, a metaphor for our time, of the heroes we collectively shape and the role we assign them in all spheres of life. Rafael Payare and the OSM are perfectly at home in this magnificent work, as evidenced by their recent recording. In the first half, Marie-Nicole Lemieux delivers one of the finest examples of her art, the irresistible Les Nuits d’été, in which she remains unsurpassed.
Payare, Liu, and the OSM: A Meeting of Minds
Saturday, August 1 at 7 p.m.
Since his resounding victory at the Chopin Competition in Warsaw, Canadian pianist Bruce Liu has conquered the musical world: invitations from the greatest orchestras, recitals in the most prestigious concert halls, a recording contract with Deutsche Grammophon, and more. For his Lanaudière debut, he offers the public two concertos worthy of his exceptional talent. For this event, the orchestra and conductor are the obvious choice: the OSM and its music director, Rafael Payare.
Macbeth by Nézet-Séguin
Sunday, August 2 at 7 p.m.
After having triumphed on our stage with Aida and Tristan und Isolde, Yannick Nézet-Séguin presents another magnificent Verdi opera this summer, a tale of tragic love, political intrigue, and a dark, fantastical atmosphere. Accompanied by the Orchestre Métropolitain and an exceptional vocal cast, including Étienne Dupuis in the title role, he brings the 49th Festival to a close, just weeks before inaugurating a new production of Macbeth at the Metropolitan Opera.
The En église Series
Intimate and resonant
In Lanaudière’s beautiful churches, each concert becomes a unique moment where music engages with its surroundings. This summer, outstanding artists take the stage: Saskia Giorgini makes her Canadian debut with Liszt and Debussy, while Matthias Goerne explores the depths of Schubert’s Winterreise. Soprano Julie Fuchs shares Belle Époque melodies, and pianist Christian Blackshaw performs Romantic works by Chopin, Schubert, and Tchaikovsky. Finally, William Christie and Justin Taylor, each at the harpsichord, offer a dialogue through the refined pages of French Baroque music.
The Hors les murs Series
Music and Discovery
Experience the Festival de Lanaudière differently, in unique venues across the region. Museums, a distillery, fragrant gardens, each space presents music in a surprising, intimate way. At Jardins Arômes et Saveurs, Sophie Naubert brings Mozart to life. At Distillerie Grand Dérangement, the Voxpopuli Quartet and Patrick Mathieu offer a captivating program of three early-20th-century composers, blending post-Romantic energy, rhythmic daring, and vivid soundscapes. With Nebulae at Le CRAPO, Valérie Milot transforms the harp into a witness to the human adventure, while Trio Hochelaga, joined by James Campbell at Musée d’art de Joliette, performs Messiaen’s monumental Quatuor pour la fin du Temps.
TICKETS
On line at www.lanaudiere.org/en/
By phone : 800-561-4343 or 866-842-2112
This page is also available in / Cette page est également disponible en:
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