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By Bleuenn Simon

Published on 29 Apr. 2026 at 9:12

It opens the month of August in Dinan (Côtes-d’Armor). For its 18th edition, the music festival is innovating. Its new president, Luca Montebugnoli, came up with the idea, the classical music festival needed a common thread, so he proposed “The Grand Tour, a musical journey through Europe”.

Luca Montebugnoli explains, “‘The Grand Tour’ is the journey that the bourgeois took throughout Europe in the 18th century, to discover the culture of the continent, intellectual, artistic, and musical.” To match this theme, each concert of the festival will be dedicated to a region or country of Europe.

Before starting the journey, one must discover French music. This will be done on August 1st by listening to three French sonatas by three late 19th-century artists: Gabriel Fauré, Camille Saint-Saëns, and César Franck.

On August 2nd, they will travel to Germany for an evening dedicated to the composer Weber. Luca Montebugnoli, along with four other musicians, will explain, “Weber may not be the most well-known German composers, but he is a very important figure in romantic music. Weber passed away 200 years ago this year.”

Plenty of music and a bit of improvisation

The following concert on August 3rd will honor the music of Vivaldi, an Italian artist. The musical ensemble Gli Incogniti will offer “a quite varied concert, with plenty of music in many different spirits, and even some improvisation… It will be fascinating.”

The journey will continue on August 4th by going to Poland with the winner of the 2025 Kowalski competition. Georgy Krizhnenko will perform works by Frédéric Chopin, Karol Szymanowski, and of course, Henri Kowalski.

Even further north on August 5th, the music will be Scandinavian. The female duo of pianist and cellist Duo Neria will perform works by the Finnish Jean Sibelius, the Norwegian Edvard Grieg, and also by Laura Netzel, a lesser-known Swedish composer, contemporary of the other two artists.

Youth Talents

On Thursday, August 6th, the focus will be on youth and Spain. The ISAR Quartet will take the stage reserved for young talents with music straight from the Iberian Peninsula, sometimes modern, without neglecting classics like Bizet’s Carmen.

The Slavic soul will be honored at the last European concert. Artists like the Czech Dvořák will share the stage with composers who drew inspiration from Bohemian music, such as Mozart and Beethoven.

The final concert will not be European but will also take the audience on a journey: the Voce quartet will offer an evening in honor of Argentina. “The musicians were in residence in Argentina and worked with local artists. They are inspired by their popular and folkloric music.”

A new venue

A program that will certainly make you travel! The festival also innovates by using, for the first time, the chapel of Roger-Vercel College for its concert “Young Talents” on August 6th, “a very beautiful place in Dinan.”

Excited to announce this new edition rich in discoveries, the organizers of the music festival note that they are missing a few volunteers. So, the proposal is launched: those who would like to get involved temporarily or permanently with the festival can contact the organizers!

From August 1st to 8th. Full price for gala concert: 25€. Other concerts: 20€. Reduced rates: 10€. Minors: free. The concerts take place at 8:00 pm at the Jacobins Theater, except for the Young Talents concert on Thursday, August 6th at 5:00 pm at the chapel of Roger-Vercel College. Ticket office opens in June.

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