If you like the piano an upcoming event at Flagey in Brussels will strike a real chord with you.
Taking place from February 11 to 15, 2026 in Brussels, the Flagey Piano Days are celebrating diversity in repertoire, style, and performers.
From classical to contemporary, including neoclassical and jazz, the festival spans generations and concert formats.
Over five days, audiences can rediscover familiar names like Beatrice Rana and Pierre-Laurent Aimard, encounter rising stars such as Alexander Malofeev and Eric Lu, and witness emerging talents Tony Siqi Yun and Laurie Torres.
Belgian pianists Jean-Claude Vanden Eynden, Julien Libeer, and Korneel Bernolet also feature in the festival program, along with Brussels-based Romanian Ionut Cibotariu and Bulgarian Plamena Mangova.
Leading figures in the piano world set the tone for this edition.
The legendary Elisabeth Leonskaja celebrates her eightieth birthday with two exceptional evenings: a solo recital devoted to the Austro-German repertoire featuring works by Mozart, Schubert, and Schönberg (13.02, 20:15, Studio 4) and a symphonic concert performing Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 3 with the Brussels Philharmonic conducted by Kazushi Ono (12.02, 20:15, Studio 4).
Italian pianist Beatrice Rana, invited by the world’s top stages, is making her Flagey debut.
She presents a programme where Prokofiev’s virtuosity meets the delicate nature of Debussy and the poetry of Tchaikovsky (11.02, 20:15, Studio 4).
French pianist Pierre-Laurent Aimard proposes a poetic dialogue between Schubert’s dances and György Kurtág’s Játékok, on the eve of the Hungarian composer’s centenary (15.02, 20:15, Studio 4). Finally, Jean-Claude Vanden Eynden performs a piano transcription of Franck’s impressive Choral III as well as Schubert’s monumental Sonata in A Major (15.02, 15:00, Studio 4).
Alongside these established names, the festival highlights some impressive young artists. American Eric Lu recently won the first prize of the 2025 Chopin Piano Competition. He presents his new album, released by Warner Classics, performing several Schubert Impromptus as well as Chopin’s Polonaise in B-flat Major, Op. 71/2, and Piano Sonata No. 3 in B minor, Op. 58 (13.02, 18:30, Studio 4).
Elsewhere, Canadian Tony Siqi Yun is an emerging piano talent who gained recognition during the First China International Music Competition.
His Flagey debut combines Schumann’s Kinderszenen, an excerpt from Liszt’s Harmonies poétiques et religieuses, and Beethoven’s Piano Sonata No. 21 “Waldstein” (15.02, 18:30, Studio 1).
Young Romanian Ionut Cibotariu, student of Jean-Claude Vanden Eynden, explores major works of the Romantic repertoire, including Chopin’s Polonaise-Fantaisie in A-flat Major and piano sonatas by Liszt and Rachmaninoff (13.02, 12:30, Studio 1). American Jonathan Biss, renowned performer, teacher, and author, is also making his Flagey debut with a selection of works by Mendelssohn, Schumann, Janáček, and Kurtág (14.02, 16:00, Studio 4).
Two Late Nights showcase the hybrid projects and new albums of two young pianist-composers: Canadian Laurie Torres (Après Coup, Tonal Union) and Hamburg-based Niklas Paschburg (EP L’Écho de Bretagne, Nettwerk Music Group).
They both offer a sensory journey blending piano, electronic textures, and neoclassical atmospheres (14.02 and 13.02 respectively, 22:15, Studio 1).
Several Flagey favorites are returning for this edition. Plamena Mangova brings her refined sensitivity to a recital featuring Chopin, Liszt, Bartók, De Falla, Albéniz, and Ginastera (12.02, 18:30, Studio 1).
Dmytro Choni demonstrates his virtuosity and imagination through intimate works by Debussy, Brahms, and Mendelssohn, as well as Lysenko’s Rhapsody on a Ukrainian Theme (14.02, 18:30, Studio 1).
Alexander Malofeev, hailed as a “new phenomenon from the Russian piano school,” presents a program ranging from Grieg to Rautavaara, including Prokofiev and Lourié (14.02, 20:15, Studio 4).
The Belgian duo, pianist Julien Libeer and harpsichordist Korneel Bernolet, explore the musical lineage from the Couperin family to Ravel in a concert combining piano, harpsichord, and fortepiano (15.02, 11:00, Studio 4).
Throughout the festival,The Piano Expo featuring rare instruments from the Piano’s Maene collection, is open one hour before each concert (11.02 – 15.02, foyers). Free music talks with specialists also provide deeper insight into the works and artists featured (12.02 – 15.02).
Practical information
Venue: Flagey, Place Sainte-Croix, 1050 Brussels
Dates: February 11 – 15, 2026
Tickets: from €16
Booking: www.flagey.be | +32 (0)2 641 10 20
(discounts: under 26, 65+, Article 27, Paspartoe)
- photo credit: Visit Brussels
