CLASSICAL BEAT Festival

CLASSICAL BEAT Festival 2026 – “VOYAGE ! France” The CLASSICAL BEAT Festival 2026 celebrates its 10th anniversary with a special edition dedicated to France, European dialogue and the power of music to connect people across borders. Under the motto “VOYAGE ! France”, the festival brings together classical music, jazz, electronic soundscapes, chanson, tango, dance and intercultural education in the unique setting of Travemünde on the Baltic Sea, as part of the renowned Travemünde Week. From 22 to 25 July 2026, international artists, young musicians and audiences will meet at the Maritim Strandhotel Travemünde and other festival venues. The programme focuses on French musical culture, Paris and Montmartre as symbolic places of artistic freedom, and the wider European context of cultural exchange. The festival also reflects the idea of the Weimar Triangle by connecting artistic impulses from Germany, France and Poland. Highlights of the 2026 edition include performances with Polish pianist Leszek Możdżer, Uruguayan composer and electronic musician Luciano Supervielle, French saxophonist, composer and artistic director Pierre Bertrand, French accordeonist Christopher Lampedecchia and the European Jazz Companions. The festival programme combines concerts, staged musical formats, jazz and classical crossover projects, youth performances, dialogue events and encounters between artists and audiences. A central production of the edition is “Let’s Dance – Nights at Montmartre”, a music and dance revue inspired by Paris, French chanson, swing, jazz and European musical history. Further programme elements explore Chopin in Paris, contemporary jazz, electronic music, and the dialogue between tradition and innovation. CLASSICAL BEAT is more than a concert festival. It is a European cultural platform that combines professional artistic production with youth participation, music education and civic dialogue. Young people from the region are involved through workshops, band projects, digital music labs and participatory formats. The festival creates spaces where established international artists and the next generation can meet, collaborate and perform. With its 2026 anniversary edition, CLASSICAL BEAT continues its mission to build bridges between musical genres, generations and nations. The festival stands for openness, artistic curiosity and a living European culture rooted in encounter, creativity and mutual understanding.