Musica 2026 in Strasbourg Opens with Gabriel Kahane and a Political Irish Focus
The Musica festival in Strasbourg, which runs until October 4, 2026, commenced with a performance by American singer-songwriter Gabriel Kahane. He showcased his works, Book of Travelers and Elevator Songs, the latter created for the Grammy-winning ensemble Roomful of Teeth in 2024. Book of Travelers, inspired by Kahane's train trip in 2017, captures the confessions of various passengers. Elevator Songs offers surreal vocal portraits of each singer. Both pieces were subsequently presented at the Philharmonie de Paris. The festival also featured "Prospective Irlande," associated with Ireland's EU presidency and a basic income initiative for 2,000 artists. Dublin's Crash Ensemble, under the direction of Kate Ellis, performed Donnacha Dennehy's Land of Winter and Michael Gallen's chamber opera The Curing Line at Théâtre de la Ville, Paris, on November 27-28, 2026.
Key facts
- Musica festival 2026 takes place in various venues in Strasbourg until 4 October 2026.
- Gabriel Kahane opened the festival with Book of Travelers, written after a 2017 US train journey following Donald Trump's first election, and Elevator Songs for Roomful of Teeth.
- Roomful of Teeth won Grammy Awards in 2024.
- The works were repeated at the Philharmonie de Paris in a half-empty, overheated hall.
- The festival's "Prospective Irlande" references Ireland's presidency of the Council of the European Union and the Basic Income for Artists scheme for 2,000 artists chosen by lottery.
- Crash Ensemble, founded by Donnacha Dennehy and directed by Kate Ellis, performed with traditional fiddler Martin Hayes.
- Donnacha Dennehy's Land of Winter received its French premiere, inspired by winter in western Ireland and sean-nós singing.
- Michael Gallen's chamber opera The Curing Line is revived at the Théâtre de la Ville, Paris, on 27 and 28 November 2026.
- Bouchra Ouizguen's Este Mundo with Dançando com a Diferença runs at Chaillot-Théâtre national de la danse, Paris, 8-10 October 2026.
Entities
Artists
- Gabriel Kahane
- Donald Trump
- Martin Hayes
- Kate Ellis
- Donnacha Dennehy
- Samuel Beckett
- Michael Gallen
- Biddy Early
- Keith Moon
- Bouchra Ouizguen
- Emmanuel Daydé
- Brian Donnellan
- Thaïs Breton
- Ros Kavanagh
Institutions
- Musica
- Roomful of Teeth
- Philharmonie de Paris
- Crash Ensemble
- Council of the European Union
- Basic Income for Artists
- Théâtre de la Ville
- Dançando com a Diferença
- Chaillot-Théâtre national de la danse
- Festival d'Automne
- Grammy Awards
- artpress
Locations
- Strasbourg
- France
- Ireland
- United States
- Paris
- Dublin
- Madeira
- Morocco
Sources
- artpress —