Greetings by Artistic Director Lucas Reuter

»Europe is not a territory, but a cultural spirit.«

Romain Rolland, the French writer with a keen sense of freedom, points the way to the 2026 festival season with this thought, in which we once again want to show what art can do in the heart of Europe: connect, inspire, transcend borders.

Since the Ludwigsburg Festival was founded, the question has been: What should a festival be? And this question is more relevant than ever. Festivals are more than a series of events; they create a space in which artists and audiences can pursue a shared longing for intensity and experience. Festival season always means a break from the everyday: a time when routines fade, horizons open up, and new experiences become possible in the force field of artistic excellence.

In this special atmosphere, the work of our festival artist, the painter Hann Trier, will unfold in 2026, whose gestural, colour-intensive visual language intertwines tradition and modernity. His painting – rhythmic, pulsating with light, and carried by improvisational freedom – combines baroque sensuality with experimental openness. In the cultural awakening of the post-war period, Trier understood artistic freedom as a profoundly democratic act: as a rejection of authoritarian forms and a commitment to individual responsibility, openness, and pluralistic expression. Trier’s works reveal how spontaneity gives rise to form and how past and present enter into dialogue in a single painterly gesture.

The Ludwigsburg Festival sees itself as a place where we continue to build on the cultural house of Europe. Art must build bridges where political debates stall and reach their limits. In 2026, European cooperation will increasingly be at the centre of the festival program, strengthening exchanges between international and Baden-Württemberg artists. Their collaboration reflects a Europe defined not by borders but by shared passion and curiosity.

A central component of our festival concept is the coming together of young musicians from all over the world, prize winners of major international music competitions such as the ARD Music Competition. Their playing embodies the energy and openness of a new generation – voices that shape the future of European musical life and make a Europe that connects. This energy unfolds its full power in the festival finale with the European Union Youth Orchestra. Here, young musicians from all parts of Europe come together in an ensemble that transcends national origins and brings the cultural spirit of Europe to life as a powerful message: »I believe in Europe, in a Europe that is yet to be created.«

With this creed from Albert Camus, we, the team at the Ludwigsburg Festival, look forward to an inspiring festival summer with you, dear festival audience.

Yours, Lucas Reuter