Music Under The Stars

Eight evenings of exceptional music across three of Uzès's most beautiful open-air venues: the courtyard of the Duché, the Évêché, and L'Ombrière Pays d'Uzès. Now in its 55th edition, this festival brings together baroque opera, piano concerto, symphonic repertoire, jazz manouche, and world music - all under the open sky of the Gard.

World Premiere

A new piece for solo flute and orchestra by Fabien Cali, performed by Philippe Bernold.

What to expect

Eight concerts across eleven evenings, each one staged in a different configuration of Uzès's historic open-air venues — the courtyard of the Duché, the Évêché, and L'Ombrière. The programme moves fluently between periods and genres: baroque opera one evening, Romantic piano the next, jazz manouche, Armenian jazz, Cape Verdean morna. All concerts begin at 21h30. Tickets go on sale 27 April 2026 online and by phone; the box office at L'Ombrière opens 15 July.

The gala concert featuring sopranist Samuel Mariño (19 July, Cour du Duché) is likely to be the fastest to sell out. Under-25s attend for €10 across all concerts; the opening night at L'Ombrière is free for under-18s.

Highlights

The 55th edition opens with a new semi-staged production of Purcell's Dido and Aeneas by the Jeune Orchestre Baroque Européen -conservatoire students from across Europe performing under professional mentorship, a tradition that has become central to the festival's identity.

The gala night showcases sopranist Samuel Mariño, the Venezuelan-born singer whose naturally high voice and refusal of genre conventions have made him one of baroque music's most talked-about performers, joined by the Orchestre de l'Opéra Royal de Versailles directed by Andrés Gabetta.

Two evenings are given over to piano: Alexandre Tharaud with the Orchestre National Avignon-Provence on 20 July, and British pianist Benjamin Grosvenor in solo recital on 22 July - Beethoven, Schumann, Scriabine, and Chopin's haunting second sonata. Jean-Christophe Spinosi returns with his Ensemble Matheus for an Italian-inspired symphonic programme on 24 July.

The final three evenings shift register entirely: André Manoukian's new quartet work La Sultane, rooted in his Armenian heritage; the Rosenberg brothers' jazz manouche tribute to Charlie Chaplin; and a closing concert by the Cesaria Evora Orchestra, the musicians who accompanied the Cape Verdean icon throughout her career, now carrying her repertoire forward with new voices.

PRACTICAL INFORMATION

Concerts are individually ticketed. Tickets on sale from 27 April 2026 at nuitsmusicalesuzes.com, by phone on 06 82 88 70 55, or in person at the Office du Tourisme (16 place Albert 1er, Uzès) from 1 June, and at L'Ombrière from 15 July.

Prices range from €24 to €55, depending on the concert and seat category. All concerts: €10 for under-25s. Opening night (18 July, L'Ombrière): free for under-18s.

In the event of bad weather, concerts scheduled in the Cour du Duché move to L'Ombrière. Concerts in the Cour de l'Évêché may be cancelled and refunded. Latecomers are admitted only at an interval; numbered seating is not guaranteed after that point. Reduced-mobility access: contact the box office at the time of booking.

Where to stay nearby

La Flânerie is a 25-minute drive from Uzès - close enough to attend every concert and still be back in the quiet of Euzet-les-Bains before midnight.

A ground-floor apartment in an 18th-century village house, with a shaded courtyard, and thick limestone walls that hold the cool through the long warmth of a southern July day. The kind of place you'll want to come back to after the music fades.