Les Nuits Etoilées Festival at the Ritz Paris
Designed almost like an outdoor theater in homage to the gardens of Versailles, the Grand Jardin played host to an intimate, close-up artistic experience detached from everyday time and space.
DANCERS, OPERA SINGERS, MUSICIANS
On June 13ᵗʰ, 14ᵗʰ, and 15ᵗʰ, 2026, the first edition of the Nuits Etoilées (Starry Nights) Festival at the Ritz Paris took place in the Grand Jardin of the legendary hotel. Conceived by artistic director Frédéric Fontan, this original and ambitious festival brought together opera, dance and orchestral music within an immersive open-air setting. The guest of honor for this first edition was Roxane Stojanov, Etoile at the Opéra national de Paris.
Three evenings, three worlds, and three distinct programs defined this exceptional festival. An event perfectly in tune with the spirit of the Ritz Paris, a great friend to artists from the start. This exclusive occasion presented an inspirational dialogue among the arts, a harmonious celebration of movement and voice, and a tribute to history with a wholly modern sensibility.
The Grand Jardin as a backdrop
Paths lined with shaped linden trees and boxwood, white magnolias and jasmine, and romantic alcoves. A haven of peace and greenery, our French-style Grand Jardin made an enchanting backdrop to these three exceptional evenings, transforming itself into a host for live performances.
Meet the artists
Each evening, guests were welcomed with a glass of champagne and petits fours, and left with a special Ritz Paris gift. Eight ticket categories were available, ranging from €150 to €550. The prestigious GOLD and SILVER categories offered a unique opportunity to chat with the artistic director and selected artists in the backstage lounge.
A 3-Day Pass was also available, offering access to all three nights of the festival with a single booking at a special rate.
Discover the Festival Program
Saturday, June 13ᵗʰ, 2026: La Nuit de Diamant
Diamond Night celebrates the brillance of Place Vendôme and the excellence of its great High Jewelry houses.
From the Renaissance pas de deux, set to a piece by Mendelssohn, to the Air des Bijoux from Gounod’s Faust - not to mention Offenbach’s celebrate Barcarolle, a not-to-be-missed showpiece - the evening will sparkle with a thousand lights.
The program notably features the mezzo-soprano Axelle Saint-Cirel, who became known to an international audience for her majestic rendition of La Marseillaise at the opening of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, and Claire de Monteil, the soprano acclaimed for her début in Médée at La Scala in Milan in 2024.
Another highlight of the evening will be the world premiere of a solo created for Etoile Roxane Stojanov by the creative duo of choreographer Florent Melac and director Frédéric Fontan, set to a work by Chopin - a composer intimately linked to the history of the Place Vendôme.
- Doors open at 08:15pm
- Show begins at 09:00pm in the Grand Jardin
- Artistic direction: Frédéric Fontan
- Musical director: Aymeric Gracia
- Lyrical artists: Claire de Monteil, Axelle Saint-Cirel
- Dancers: Roxane Stojanov, Florent Melac
- Ensemble: Georges Barré, Angélique Debay, Hugues Girard, Michaël Riedler
- Pianist: Julie Alcaraz
- Flutist: Julie Huguet
- Program duration: Approximately 1 hour 20 minutes
Sunday, June 14ᵗʰ, 2026: La Nuit des Romantiques
From La Bohème to La Traviata, Carmen, Romeo and Juliette - performed by Tamara Bounazou, winner of the Révélation category at the 2026 Victoires de la Musique Classique awards, and tenor Quentin Desgeorges - and Swan Lake with the internationally renowned Etoile Maia Makhateli, the evening will explore the nuances of love: ardent passion, abandon, tragedy and exaltation.
An homage will be made to Marcel Proust through the pas de deux Le Combat des Anges, from the ballet Proust by Roland Petit. This piece will be performed by Andrea Sarri and Mickaël Lafon of the Opéra national de Paris.
In addition, it will welcome the Paris premiere of an adagio from Swan Lake, choreographed by Jean-Sébastien Colau, Ballet Director at the Teatro Massimo in Palermo, in homage to Visconti’s masterpiece The Leopard and featuring Etoile Maia Makhateli and Andrea Sarri.
- Doors open at 08:15pm
- Show begins at 09:00pm in the Grand Jardin
- Artistic direction: Frédéric Fontan
- Musical director: Aymeric Gracia
- Lyrical artists: Tamara Bounazou, Quentin Desgeorges
- Dancers: Maia Makhateli, Andrea Sarri, Mickaël Lafon
- Ensemble: Georges Barré, Angélique Debay, Hugues Girard, Michaël Riedler
- Pianist: Julie Alcaraz
- Program duration: Approximately 1 hour 20 minutes
Monday, June 15ᵗʰ, 2026: La Nuit Clair de Lune
This closing evening, framed as a kind of dream-filled wakefulness, will be enhanced by the exceptional presence of Brazilian soprano Bruno de Sá, who will transport the audience through virtuosic arias and an original interpretation of Le Carnaval des Animaux by Camille Saint-Saëns.
Two emblematic Etoiles of the Ballet at the Opéra national de Paris, Alice Renavand and Mathieu Ganio, will perform solos by moonlight, as well as the celebrated pas de deux from Angelin Preljocaj’s Le Parc.
The ultimate Etoile and legendary figure of her generation, Agnès Letestu, will honor guests with a solo specially adapted from the work of the choreographer Jean-Claude Gallotta.
As a finale will be presented the world premiere of a solo created for Etoile Alice Renavand by the choreographic duo Loup Marcault-Derouard and Frédéric Fontan, set to a reinterpretation of The Swan by Camille Saint-Saëns.
- Doors open at 08:15pm
- Show begins at 09:00pm in the Grand Jardin
- Artistic direction: Frédéric Fontan
- Musical director: Aymeric Gracia
- Lyrical artist: Bruno de Sá
- Dancers: Alice Renavand, Mathieu Ganio, Agnès Letestu
- Ensemble: Georges Barré, Angélique Debay, Hugues Girard, Michaël Riedler
- Pianist: Marcos Vinicius Vieira
- Program duration: Approximately 1 hour 20 minutes
