Classical Music in Nice – 2024/25 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 last-minute ticket line, where one hour before the performance, unsold tickets drop to half-price …and for students and under-30s tickets are just 5€! 

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 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.  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 (with 2024/2025 dates)

Les Moments Musicaux presents a series of prestigious concerts performed in the magnificent Sainte-Reparate Cathedral in Old Nice. Tram stop Cathedrale.

• 2024 dates: Thurs Oct. 17, 2024

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.

• Sunday Oct 6, 2024 organ concert at 6pm for the fete de Ste-Reparate

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

• 2024/25 dates: Oct 18, Nov 15, Dec 13, Jan 17, Feb 28, Mar 21, Apr 25, May 23

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 in Old Nice, 8 rue Saint Augustin, tramway Cathedrale or Garibaldi.  Tickets are 18€.

• 2024/25 dates: Oct 19, Nov 30, Jan 25, Mar 1, Mar 29, May 24, July 5

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)

• 2024/25 dates: Oct 13, Nov 17, Dec 1, Jan 12, Feb 2, Mar 16, Apr 6, May 18

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.

• 2024/25 dates: Oct 14, Nov 18, Dec 9, Jan 9, Feb 10, Feb 27, Mar 3,  Mar 31, Apr 7, May 12

Opera Concerts en Famille, a family-oriented concert series but open to anybody. Usually one Sunday a month, sometimes at 11am, sometimes at 3pm.  Tickets 10€, free for under 12.  It’s open seating so if you get in line early you can score a private box!  Nice Opera House, tram stop Opera

• 2024/25 dates: Oct 20, Nov 17, Jan 5, Feb 2, Apr 13, May 18

Vu pas Vu Cultural Association hosts a variety of concerts each month at La Provana, 4 Rue Provana de Leyni (tram stop Durandy). Ticket prices vary by concert.

• 2024/25 dates: Sep 28, Oct 19, Nov 9, Dec 7

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.

• 2024/25 Kosma Series: Oct 8, Nov 5, 12, Feb 3, Mar 11,
• 2024/25 Student Concerts:  Nov 7, 19, 29; Dec 6, 13, 18, 20; Jan 23, 24, 29; Mar 14, 18, 22; Apr 22, 23, 29; June 17, 19, 24, 26, 30; Jul 2

For the 2024/25 season they are also holding free Conservatory student concerts at prestigious venues around town:

• Cathedrale Ste-Reparate in Old Nice – Dec 18
• L’Artistique Museum, tramstop Jean Medecin – Dec 18, Jan 15, Mar 12,
• Matisse Museum – Nov 6, Dec 4, Feb 5, Mar 5
• Chagall Museum – Nov 23, Dec 14, Jan 25, Feb 6, Mar 22, Jun 7
• Theatre Francis Gag in Old Nice –  May 14

Candlelight Classic Concerts are held several times a month (click link for schedule) at various venues around town.  I recommend the concerts in the Nice Observatory, which is an extraordinary venue, although complicated to get to.  In winter they are often at the Centre Universitaire de la Mediterranee (CUM), which has easy access (tram stop of the same name), and great sightlines.

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.

Upcoming: Musicam Ensemble Friday Nov. 29th: Vivaldi, Mendelssohn, Mozart, Monti, Devienne, Bach, Dutilleux

Thursday 19 December Musicam Ensemble  Christmas Concert: Corelli, Beethoven, Strauss, Caccini, Tchaïkovsky, Molter

There is usually a monthly concert at Holy Trinity Anglican Church, 11 rue de la Buffa

Same goes for occasional concerts at the Cathedrale Sainte-Reparate at Place Rossetti in Old Nice, but since they don’t have an updated events page, best to just pop by and look at the 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

• 2024/25 dates: Nov 8-10

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

• 2024/25 dates: Oct 8, Nov 26, Dec 25, Jan 14, Feb 25, Mar 25, Apr 22, May 20, Jul 8.

Summer Music Festivals and more…

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, first week of July, tickets 20€, tram stop Cathedrale.

Nice Classic Basilique Festival – Mid July through mid August  – Classical concerts starting at 8:30pm and with tickets at 11-26€, or just 6€ for the organ recitals. Notre Dame church on Jean Medecin, Tram stop Jean Medecin.

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.

Candlelight Concerts in the Nice Observatory.  From May through September – An intimate one-of-a-kind concert venue, illuminated with a thousand candles …and at the end the observatory opens the coupole to the stars!  Various concerts are proposed: some are classical (Vivaldi…), and some are classical interpretations of rock icons like Queen or Coldplay.  Tickets 45€/60€  Read more about the Nice Observatory and how to get there.

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.

Autumn and Winter Classical Music Festivals

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

C’est Pas Classique free November music festival, where classical music is turned a bit on its head.  Taking a pause in 2024, but will be back in 2025.

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

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