Édito

The dream was born on a summer evening, the day after my last concert on Canebiers Beach. Swept away by the magical and unique atmosphere of this festival, everything felt meant to be.
It is therefore with deep emotion and immense joy that I address you today as the new Artistic Director of the Grandes Musiques de Saint-Tropez Festival – Château de la Moutte, and I look forward to welcoming you there.
I would like to pay tribute to Jean-Philippe Audoli, who introduced me to this festival 25 years ago and has shaped and guided it over the years, surrounded by an extraordinary team that has kept this adventure alive and thriving with passion and dedication. Our collaboration came naturally. Together, we imagined new projects and charted new horizons, driven by a shared desire to help the festival and its music resonate ever more widely, while making them accessible to as many people as possible.
This first edition celebrates the meeting of the arts. Dance joins us with Angelin Preljocaj and his celebrated Le Baiser du Parc, a poetic dialogue between movement and music that I am delighted to accompany alongside Jérôme Ducros. And because a festival only truly exists when its heart beats to the rhythm of its city, we will offer a new major free concert for everyone in one of Saint-Tropez’s most magical settings: the Pré des Pêcheurs.
Literature joins strings for an evening with the remarkable Guillaume Gallienne and the Modigliani Quartet, and a new musical partnership is born with the Orchestra of the Opéra de Toulon — a first collaboration that heralds new harmonies within the Château.
Musical friendships lie at the heart of this programme, with Lisa Batiashvili and François Leleux, lifelong friends whom I deeply admire and with whom I always cherish sharing the stage. My longtime musical companion Yuja Wang, a true star of the piano, will perform upon the water — the kind of dream only Saint-Tropez can offer. And to bring this edition to a close, the enchanting voice of Pretty Yende, in dialogue with the young tenor Aleksey Kursanov and pianist Frank Braley: grace and musical legacy across generations.
Families will also be part of the celebration with Zorbalov, a musical experience of discovery and wonder for all ages, as well as workshops for children, allowing the youngest audiences to step into the world of music through joy and curiosity.
The great stars of today and tomorrow invite you to gather beneath the stars of Saint-Tropez, for evenings filled with music and emotion.
More than ever, we are counting on your presence. More than ever, we need you. These evenings come to life only through those who share them.
May this 2026 edition keep alive the romantic spirit of last year and guide us, together, toward new horizons.

Gautier Capuçon, artistic director