One of Brussels’ best loved concert venues has unveiled its new programme for the coming arts season.
In 2026-2027, Flagey makes the First Viennese School the main thread of a season driven by what it calls “a clear philosophy”: listening to the music of the past can help us better understand the present.
With the 200th anniversary of Ludwig van Beethoven’s death approaching, artists such as Boris Giltburg, Quatuor Ébène, Mitsuko Uchida, Paul Lewis, András Schiff, Frank Peter Zimmermann, Dmytro Choni and Alexander Melnikov “show how relevant and powerful this music still is.”
The season also prominently features jazz.
Louise van den Heuvel, artist in residence of Brussels Jazz Festival, Anouar Brahem and Dee Dee Bridgewater will take the stage, alongside the 50th anniversary of Les Lundis d’Hortense.
The Flagey Piano Days, meantime, bring together some of today’s greatest pianists and pay tribute to Philip Glass.
J.S. Bach is a recurring name throughout the season, interpreted by Philippe Herreweghe.
Album releases, young laureates and a family-centred programme further seek to celebrate creation, transmission and the joy of new discoveries.
The First Viennese school: mirror of our time
Will a world marked by uncertainty, fear and hope inspire a new musical language?
This is the question Flagey also explores throughout its 2026-2027 season, through a series of concerts devoted to the First Viennese School and, above all, Ludwig van Beethoven.
Some 200 years after his death, Beethoven is not presented as an untouchable icon, but as a composer whose music still speaks powerfully to our time.
A Flagey spokesman said, “Alongside Joseph Haydn, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Franz Schubert, he allows people to reflect on how music can respond to a world in turmoil. It offers resilience, consolation and the energy to move forward.”
Artist in residence Boris Giltburg presents the entirety of Beethoven’s sonatas for piano, a project unfolding over two seasons.
He not only performs solo (25.03.27, 8.15pm and 06.06.27, 5pm), but also appears in a format new to Brussels: sonatas in the first half of the concert, followed by a symphonic programme with the Brussels Philharmonic in the second half (26-27.03.27, 8.15pm and 04-05.06.27, 8.15pm).
Another artist in residence, Paul Lewis, launches a long-term project at Flagey dedicated to Mozart’s sonatas, which he will record in the building itself.
Mitsuko Uchida makes her Flagey debut with a programme linking the First and Second Viennese Schools, featuring works by Haydn, Mozart, Schubert and Schönberg (27.11.26, 8.15pm).
In March, András Schiff devotes an entire concert to Haydn (17.03.27, 8pm).
Meanwhile in April, Frank Peter Zimmermann makes his Flagey debut alongside Dmytro Choni for a one-off Belgian performance that brings together Schubert and the Second Viennese School (13.04.27, 8.15pm).
Jazz, a space for diversity
The Brussels Jazz Festival runs from 14 to 23 January 2027, with Louise van den Heuvel as artist in residence.
The Dutch bassist presents three projects: a concert with Kit Downes, Otis Sandsjö and Sun-Mi Hong (15.01.27, 9pm), an experience combining brunch and listening with Bert Cools (17.01.27, 2pm), and a new repertoire with her band Sonic Hug (21.01.27, 7.30pm).
The festival also highlights The Best of Belgian Jazz, Flagey’s series dedicated to Belgian jazz talent from both sides of the language border.
At Flagey, jazz has both a Belgian and an international face. Belgium Booms, the successor to the Belgian Jazz Meeting, gives four Belgian groups the chance to perform for international programmers.
Supported by VI.BE and Wallonie-Bruxelles Musiques, the project shows how musical creation can transcend borders.
Tunisian composer and oud player Anouar Brahem returns to Flagey this autumn with a concert that brings the oud tradition into dialogue with Western jazz (08.10.26, 8.15pm). In a more contemplative vein, L’Antidote offers a transcultural programme inspired by many horizons, bringing together Iranian percussionist Bijan Chemirani, Albanian cellist Redi Hasa and Lebanese pianist Rami Khalifé (29.10.26, 8.15pm).
This will be one of the trio’s only two appearances in Belgium.
Flagey will also soon celebrate the 50th anniversary of Les Lundis d’Hortense with a double bill: a carte blanche for Nathalie Loriers and her project 1, 2, 3 Piano, alongside a concert by the Belgian Jazz Ensemble and Tutu Puoane (01.10.26, 8pm). The season closes with two all-female concerts: Children of Simone (28/05/27, 8.15pm) and Dee Dee Bridgewater (31/05/27, 8.15m), each presenting an empowering concert inspired by the repertoire of Nina Simone and Max Roach.
Tunisian composer and oud player Anouar Brahem returns to Flagey this autumn with a concert that brings the oud tradition into dialogue with Western jazz (08.10.26, 8.15pm). In a more contemplative vein, L’Antidote offers a transcultural programme inspired by many horizons, bringing together Iranian percussionist Bijan Chemirani, Albanian cellist Redi Hasa and Lebanese pianist Rami Khalifé (29.10.26, 8.15pm).
This will be one of the trio’s only two appearances in Belgium.
Flagey will celebrate the 50th anniversary of Les Lundis d’Hortense with a double bill: a carte blanche for Nathalie Loriers and her project 1, 2, 3 Piano, alongside a concert by the Belgian Jazz Ensemble and Tutu Puoane (01.10.26, 8pm). The season closes with two all-female concerts: Children of Simone (28/05/27, 8pm) and Dee Dee Bridgewater (31/05/27, 8pm), each presenting an empowering concert inspired by the repertoire of Nina Simone and Max Roach.
Major highlights
From February 10 to 14, the Flagey Piano Days bring together some of today’s most remarkable pianists. Roman Borisov and Quatuor Modigliani open the festival with a programme centred on Debussy and Franck (10.02.27, 6.30pm). Later that evening, Marc-André Hamelin brings together Weinberg, Debussy and Chopin (10.02.27, 8.15pm).
Jonathan Fournel performs with the Brussels Philharmonic (11.02.27, 8.15pm), while Alexander Melnikov is joined by the Orchestre Philharmonique Royal de Liège (12.02.27, 8.15pm). Brothers Lucas and Arthur Jussen present a programme including Bach, Brahms and Gershwin (13.02.27, 8.15pm), and sisters Katia and Marielle Labèque come together for a programme of miniatures, spotlighting lesser-known women composers alongside Mendelssohn, Fauré and Ravel (14.02.27, 7pm).
Furthermore, this edition pays tribute to Philip Glass on the occasion of his 90th birthday, with concerts by Vanessa Wagner (14.02.27, 11am), and Danae Dörken and Pascal Schumacher (11.02.27, 10.15pm.
Another highlight of the season is the Beethoven Quartets weekend, from 20 to 22 November 2026, featuring the first part of Beethoven’s complete string quartets, performed by Quatuor Ébène. The ensemble makes its Flagey debut across three evenings.
Early music holds an equally important place in the season. During the festive period, Philippe Herreweghe and the Collegium Vocale Gent perform Bach’s Christmas Oratorio.
Moreover, Flagey marks the 300th anniversary of Johann Gottlieb Goldberg with two reinterpretations of the Goldberg Variations: one by TrioFenix (16.10.26, 12.30pm) and another by guitarists Thibaut Garcia and Antoine Morinière (20.10.26, 8.15pm).
