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. This year’s “artiste étoile” is violinist Augustin Hadelich, who will appear in four concerts, while Mark Andre serves as composer-in-residence.

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 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.

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