2026 Académie Ravel – Bertrand Chamayou’s editorial
I am delighted to present this new session of the Académie Ravel.
With over 50 years of history, carrying on the legacy of Maurice Ravel, his contemporaries, and the long tradition of French teaching, we are opening our 56th edition this year.
This new edition follows in the footsteps of recent years, which have seen your enthusiasm and that of the public grow, making the Academy a key summer event in your careers as young musicians.
Once again this year, the teaching staff combines loyal partners and new leading figures who embody the excellence of French and International schools. These complementary pairs, chosen for each class and in some cases bringing together different generations of performers, are a testament to the artistic and educational richness of the Academy.
In 2026, the Academy will continue its flute and clarinet classes. Opened in 2025, they come as an undeniably of the project by offering, among other things, greater opportunities in chamber music and for the composition class. Two great French soloists will teach these two classes in 2026: Magali Mosnier and Nicolas Baldeyrou.
Individual and group lessons, public masterclasses, open stages, music ensemble projects, creative work, workshops, and professional meetings are all on the program for these two weeks at the Académie Ravel, which aims to offer a dual experience about education and stage.
With this in mind, the link with the Ravel Festival – which will take place in 2026 from August 26 to September 5 – is also being strengthened: several Festival concerts will feature students from this year’s Academy, alongside more established artists scheduled during Ravel Festival. Another event is now firmly established in the Festival’s program: the commissioning of a new work from the winner of the Academy’s Composition Prize. This year, a new piece by Álvaro Pérez Sánchez, the 2025 winner, will receive its world premiere.
This prize—and a new commission for the next edition of the Festival—will be awarded again in 2026 at the end of the composition class competition, which remains at the heart of the Academy’s project, with this year’s the leading teaching of Spanish composer Hèctor Parra, supported by the work of Alphonse Cemin.
Long-term support for young soloists from the Academy also continues thanks to the network of partnerships created with a variety of cultural actors in Nouvelle-Aquitaine, offering opportunities for professional concerts during the season.
I am committed to making the Academy a real springboard for the younger generation of musicians, and this year once again the whole team will be working towards this goal.
Finally, the Peyuco Duhart Cultural Center will once again be the unique venue for the upcoming session, hosting classes, work sessions, public performances, and living spaces: a privileged place for these two weeks rich in music, encounters, and sharing—in the magical setting of Saint-Jean-de-Luz and the Basque Coast.
We look forward to welcoming you there!
Bertrand Chamayou
Artistic Director of the Académie Ravel
Bertrand Chamayou © Audoin Desforges