IAM Vol 22 Issue 04

2026 Festival Focus

Welcome to the April issue of International Arts Manager, where our annual Festival Focus arrives as the sector turns its attention to the months ahead. Each year, this issue offers an opportunity to look more closely at the role festivals play, not only as celebratory events, but as places where artistic ideas and communities meet.

In our cover feature, we catch up with Wu Han and David Finckel as they prepare to step away from Music@Menlo after 25 years. They reflect on the values and artistic convictions that have shaped both their partnership and the festival they have built, and explain why, for them, nothing is ever “just a concert”. At the Carmel Bach Festival, Artistic Director Grete Pedersen is shaping a programme around sound, place and perspective in dialogue.

We preview the 2026 Edinburgh International Festival, where a globally minded programme places American artists at its centre, while the Grand Teton Music Festival marks its 65th anniversary with a season that reaches beyond its traditional home. At the Lucerne Festival, Executive and Artistic Director Sebastian Nordmann outlines how digital initiatives are reshaping the festival’s relationship with audiences.

Also in this issue

News
UK Government delivers major boost to the performing arts
MU and ABO reach new agreement
Wigmore Hall announces new partnerships
West Kowloon prepares for 2027 centre opening
The institutions behind VOX America’s relaunch
Britten Pears Arts to host wellbeing retreat for music professionals
Upcoming events

Musical Chairs
From promotions to retirement – find out who’s on the move

Classical Music Signings
Keep up to date with the latest industry news

Competitions and Awards

sideNotes: Han-Na Chang and Seoul Arts Center

ISPA: Global Voices
Leaders of the Reykjavík Arts Festival and Istanbul Fringe Festival  reflect on building artistic exchange

APAP: A View from Here:
Lisa Richards Toney on shaping the future of arts and technology

Reflections from Classical:NEXT 2026

CINARS: Connected Voices:
Gilles Doré in conversation with Rafael Payare, Music Director of the Orchestre symphonique de Montréal on the evolving role of the orchestra

AMA: Full House: 
Matt Ecclestone explores what arts festivals can learn from pop culture’s most devoted fans

Festival Focus:

• Grete Pedersen, Artistic Director of Carmel BachFestival
• Music@Menlo: in conversation with David Finckel and Wu Han
• 2026 Edinburgh International Festival preview
• Longborough Festival Opera
• Sebastian Nordmann, Executive and Artistic Director of Lucerne Festival
• Grand Teton Festival preview

ISPA 2026 Singapore Congress preview

Diary