Classical Music in Nice – 2025/26 Season

Besides the famous Nice Opera, Nice boasts numerous Baroque and Chamber Music Ensembles that perform monthly in Nice’s fabulous Baroque churches.  Nice also hosts a whole slate of classical music festivals throughout the year…

The Nice Opera

The Nice Opera is naturally the classical music hub with a robust program of operas, concerts and ballets… but also concerts for the family, and all kinds of community outreach including free performances, and even dinners and dances held on the stage!   There is something going on every week.  Click here for the calendar for the current month.

• Insider Tip:  The Nice Opera ticket office has a Ticket Happy Hour… a last-minute ticket line one hour before the performance, where unsold seats drop to half-price!  (This only applies to major concerts with reserved seating, and not open-seating single-price events.)
• Under-30s are always half-price for the major concerts.

The Nice Opera’s only real competition is Monaco, with the Opera de Monte-Carlo offering a full slate of top-end productions, and the Monte-Carlo Philharmonic Orchestra hosting concerts at the Salle Garnier in the Monte Carlo Opera House, the Grimaldi Forum, and the Auditorium Rainier III with tickets starting as low as 20€ for most concerts.   Cannes also has a strong classics presence with their National Orchestre de Cannes.

Free Weekly Sunday Concerts in Nice

Every Sunday afternoon at 3:30pm the Nice Orchestra d’Harmonie gives a free concert; here is this week’s program.  In summer they’re held in the gazebo in the Albert 1st gardens just across from the seaside or in the Cimiez gardens (bus #5).  In winter the concerts alternate between the church in the Port (tramway Port) or the Basilica Notre Dame (tramway Jean Medecin).

Monthly Nice Concert Series 

Here is an overview, but I’ve listed the individual concerts on each month’s event page.

The Ensemble Baroque de Nice holds concerts one Friday per month from October through May, in one of several baroque chapels in Old Nice, either the Eglise Saint-Francois-de-Paule across from the Nice Opera House (tram stop Opera), the Eglise Saint-Augustin (tram stop Cathedrale or Garibaldi), or the Eglise du Gesu (tram stop Cathedrale).  Concerts start at 8:30pm, tickets are 20€.

The Societe de Musique Ancienne de Nice performs Baroque concerts one Saturday a month from October to July, at 8:30pm at the Providence Cultural Center (Formerly the Providence Chapel) in Old Nice, 8 rue Saint Augustin, tramway Cathedrale or Garibaldi.  Tickets are 18€.   In addition, La Semuse holds a whole slate of cultural events/concerts/theatre here.

Concerts Spirituals de Nice presents Chamber Music concerts at the Protestant Temple one Sunday a month from October through May.  Concerts start at 5pm, tickets 15€, 21 blvd Victor Hugo (enter rue Maccarani)

The Chagall Museum on Cimiez hosts the Nice Philharmonic for a series of 1-hour chamber music concerts in their gorgeous circular stained-glass auditorium, and tickets are a bargain at just 12€. Held one Monday a month at either 7 or 8pm from October through May.  Easy access with bus #5 until 1am, or just take an Uber.  There is also free parking at the museum.

Vu pas Vu Cultural Association hosts a monthly concert usually at the Palais de l’Agriculture, an elegant belle epoch villa right across from the Magnan tram stop, or the Church of the Vow across from the old town, tram stop Cathedrale. Ticket prices vary by concert.

Holy Trinity Anglican Church hosts monthly classical concerts.  11 rue de la Buffa

The Nice Music Conservatory on Cimiez holds a robust schedule of concerts, and all are free.   There are two programs: the Kosma series which brings in outside musicians, as well as concerts featuring the students of the Music Conservatory.  These concerts are held in the Auditorium at the Conservatory, which is accessible by bus #5 which goes every 15 minutes and runs to midnight so easy to get back (get off at Commandant Gerome stop, then turn left at the giant dog statue and follow the arrows to ‘C.N.R.’) or with bus #16 and #18.

For the 2025/26 season they are also holding free Conservatory student concerts at prestigious venues around town (individual concerts listed on each month’s calendar page):

• Cathedrale Ste-Reparate in Old Nice
• L’Artistique Museum, tramstop Jean Medecin
• Matisse Museum
• Chagall Museum
• Theatre Francis Gag in Old Nice

Candlelight Classic Concerts are held several times a month (click link for schedule) at various venues around town.  In the summer I recommend the concerts in the Nice Observatory, which is an extraordinary venue, although complicated to get to.

Concert Hubs for Touring Ensembles

The major hub for one-off concerts touring on a national level is the Saint-Francois-de-Paule Church across from the Opera, tram stop Opera.  They don’t post the concerts on any consistent website, so best to just pop by and check out the posters of upcoming concerts out front.  Here’s one that performs at least a couple of times each year:  Musicam Ensemble

Same goes for another concert-hub at the Cathedrale Sainte-Reparate at Place Rossetti in Old Nice (tram stop Cathedrale) but since they don’t have an updated events page, best to just pop by and look at the posters.  Here is one touring ensemble that does a couple of concerts there each year:  Les Moments Musicaux

And the church itself often holds organ recitals and special musical events as well, sometimes listed on their website, but best to pass by and see if there are any event posters.

Virtual Live Opera

You can experience the entire season of the New York Metropolitan Opera transmitted live at special Saturday showings at the Pathe Massena Cinema

And the entire season of the Royal London Opera House shown live at the Varieties Cinema, usually with one afternoon and one evening performance.

 

Autumn and Winter Classical Music Festivals

Antibes hosts the Festival of Sacred Art for two weeks mid-September.

C’est Pas Classique (It’s Not Classic!) free November music festival, where classical music is turned a bit on its head.

 

Summer Music Festivals and more…

New! Opera Immersive Sound and Light Experience  July 1 – Aug 31, 2025.  A really cool 45-minute feast for the senses with an intricate 360 degree lightshow designed specifically for the majestic Nice Opera House, and all set to Opera classics .  Hourly shows from 3pm to 9pm daily from Wednesday through Sunday; tickets 22€ for adults, 15.40 for kids 6-18, free under 6, plus family pricing.  Tram stop Opera.

Monaco’s Printemps des Arts de Monte Carlo Springtime Music Festival – mid March  – mid April

Sacred Music Festival in the Sainte-Reperate Cathedrale in Old Nice in early June, tickets 20€, tram stop Cathedrale.

L’Oiseau Bleu Classic Music Festival July 2026 dates TBD at the St-Francois-de-Paul baroque church just across from the Nice Opera.  8:30pm, tickets 20€,  tram stop Opera.

Nice Classic Cathedrale concert series every Friday night at 8:30pm from July 11-Aug 15, 2025 in the magnificent Cathedrale Sainte-Reparate in Old Nice.  Tickets start at 10€. Tram stop Cathedrale.

Nice Classic Live outdoor concert series set in the Cimiez Monastery.  From mid-July and into August, high-quality classical concerts held under the stars in the dream-like French gardens of the Cimiez monastery.  Tickets are 9-19€.  Easy access with bus #5 until 1am.

Festi’Vence – last weekend in June – Free – a slate of back-to-back classical music concerts spread out over 3 days in the town square of the charming town of Vence.  It’s easy to get there by bus, even coming back late.

Concerts in the Prince’s Palace – Monaco, late July/early August – The Monte Carlo Philharmonic Orchestra gives a series of summer concerts in a one-of-a-kind venue: the interior courtyard of the Palace of Monaco. It’s a coat and tie affair, and tickets go from as low as 30€ to up to 250€.

Les Nuits Rothschild  Every Monday and Tuesday night from July through August, the Villa Ephrussi de Rothschild in Cap-Jean-Saint-Ferrat opens its doors from 7:45pm-midnight, for an evening ambiance like no other.  The villa is resplendent at night lit by hundreds of candles; enjoy live ballet and ‘dancing fountains’, wander the gardens with a ‘picnic panier’, enjoy the bar, or dine in the villa. Tickets are 35€, or 60€ including a picnic basket to enjoy in the gardens (note: no bringing in your own food/bottles), or 105€ including a glass of Champagne and 3-course dinner in the villa.  There is also a family admission of 80€ for two adults and 2 children.

• See related page English Live Theater on the Cote d’Azur

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