For many, Paris is the capital of cabaret and the arts thanks to its impressive museums, exhibitions, and countless cultural attractions. Music being part of the arts, the Parisian scene has nothing to envy the rest of the world in terms of classical music.
From the Opéra Garnier to the Philharmonie de Paris and the famous festivals, many iconic venues offer performances throughout the year, for enthusiasts and newcomers alike. If we’ve piqued your curiosity, we’ve compiled a list of the best classical music concerts in Paris in 2026 and the venues where they will take place.
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When classical music breaks out of its usual mold, heritage enhances the masterpieces
Vivaldi, Chopin, Mozart… Paris vibrates to the rhythm of classical music in sublime venues. Here are five concerts not to be missed for a timeless evening.
Fancy an enchanting evening of classical masterpieces in exceptional settings? Throughout the year, the capital’s majestic venues host candlelit concerts and intimate recitals performed by exceptional artists.
Photo by Chris Johnson on Unsplash
The Philharmonie de Paris
The Philharmonie offers around 500 concerts a year( many of which are free), but we’ll mention just a few of their most eagerly awaited shows:
🎵 Ukrainian Festival: Orchestre de Paris & Oksana Lyniv
As part of a weekend dedicated to Ukrainian culture, this concert features a world premiere by Eduard Resatsch entitled Les Visions du prince(The Prince’s Visions). Conducted by Oksana Lyniv, the program links this new work with the lyricism of Sibelius and the power of Dvořák’s Symphony No. 8 .
📅 February 25
🎵 The Phenomenon Yunchan Lim & Klaus Mäkelä: All Rachmaninoff
The Philharmonie welcomes two true stars of the new generation. Prodigious pianist Yunchan Lim will perform Rachmaninoff’s famous Piano Concerto No. 2, while Klaus Mäkelä will conduct Symphony No. 2. It is a celebration of Russian romanticism by two of today’s most viral artists.
📅 March 11 and 12
🎵 Featured Event: La Maestra International Competition (4th Edition)
This international competition has become a global must-see event for gender equality in classical music. Co-founded by the Paris Mozart Orchestra and the Philharmonie, it offers crucial visibility to female conductors. The final, chaired by Oksana Lyniv, will see the candidates conduct works by Stravinsky, Brahms, and a world premiere by Diana Soh.
📅 February 23 to 28
🎵 Organ & symphony recital: Beethoven & Poulenc with Iveta Apkalna
During this concert, the great Latvian organist Iveta Apkalna will take her place at the majestic Rieger organ in the Grande Salle Pierre Boulez. She will perform Francis Poulenc’s spectacular Organ Concerto , framed by the Egmont Overture and Beethoven’s famous Symphony No. 5 , conducted by Thomas Hengelbrock.
📅 May 26
🎵 Esa-Pekka Salonen & Renaud Capuçon
This event brings together two giants of the world stage. Esa-Pekka Salonen will conduct the Orchestre de Paris with Renaud Capuçon as soloist in Bartók’s formidable Violin Concerto No. 2 . The program is rounded off with Strauss’s flamboyant Don Juan and Sibelius’s Symphony No. 5 .
📅 April 8 and 9
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The Palais Garnier
🎵 Tchaikovsky’s Eugene Onegin
The Palais Garnier welcomes Tchaikovsky’s romantic masterpiece, Eugene Onegin. This production, featuring internationally renowned singers such as Boris Pinkhasovich in the title role, is a melancholic exploration of unrequited love and regret, served by sumptuous orchestration in a gilded 19th-century setting.
📅 Until February 27
The Opéra Bastille
🎵 Nixon in China by John Adams (New Production)
The Opéra Bastille presents a new production of John Adams’ cult minimalist opera, Nixon in China. Conducted by the renowned Kent Nagano and directed by Valentina Carrasco, this work recounts the historic visit of the American president to China in 1972, combining politics, psychology, and an orchestral score bursting with energy.
📅 February 24 to March 20
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The Royal Opera of the Palace of Versailles
🎵 Faust by Gounod (Staged version)
The Royal Opera offers a new interpretation of Charles Gounod’s Faust. In this historic theater built for Louis XV, this production promises to restore the French opera par excellence to its former glory, with its famous choruses and its duel between the divine and the diabolical.
📅 March 22 to 30
The Festival de Saint-Denis
This international festival takes over the Basilica of Saint-Denis for large-scale symphonic and choral concerts. World-renowned conductors are expected to perform monumental works (such as Bach’s Mass in B minor or Mozart’s Requiem) in the unique acoustics of the cathedral.
📅 May 28 to June 23
Les Étoiles du Classique (in Saint-Germain-en-Laye)
This festival on the outskirts of Paris brings together more than 200 exceptional young talents. It is an opportunity to discover the virtuosos of tomorrow in a historic setting (both at the Théâtre Alexandre Dumas and in the Église Saint Germain), with a program to be unveiled in mid-February 2026.
June 19–28
Candlelight Concerts
Taking place throughout the year in some of the city’s most beautiful venues, such as the National Institute for Young Blind People and the Odéon Théâtre de l’Europe, these tributes offer classical music in a warm atmosphere, thanks to thousands of twinkling candles. From Mozart and Chopin to Vivaldi and Beethoven, as well as other musical genres reinterpreted in a classical form, there is something for everyone, even those who are not very familiar with classical music.
This list of highly anticipated classical music concerts in Paris in 2026 highlights the diversity of Paris’ cultural offerings. Whether you are a seasoned aficionado or want to broaden your musical knowledge, don’t miss any of these performances.