The III. Jacques Offenbach Grand Prix 2026 takes place in the historical town of Bad Ems, a UNSECO World Heritage "Spa Towns of Europe", this year as part of the new Jacques Offenbach music festival "OFFENBACHIADE".
​Click here for the festival's info and program. 

Application deadline: 20th July 2026

Jacques Offenbach Grand Prix" is an initiative of the mezzo-soprano/cellist and artistic director of Skull of Yorick Productions, Kassandra Dimopoulou. It began in 2021 in Bad Ems as part of the "Festival Gegen den Strom." Due to the pandemic, the first year was held entirely online. However, in 2022, the final rounds of the event were presented live in the historical Maarmorsaal in Bad Ems, the same place where Jaques Offenbach presented some of his most famous works. This year, the project is part of the first "Offenbachiade", a 4- year- project and the only Jaques Offenbach Festival in Germany and it will take place on Saturday, August 8th and Sunday, August 9th, 2026 in Bad Ems.

Jacques Offenbach
​in Bad Ems

JACQUES OFFENBACH
(June 1819– 5 October 1880)
was a German-born French composer, cellist and impresario. He is remembered for his nearly 100 operettas of the 1850s to the 1870s, and his uncompleted opera "The Tales of Hoffmann". His best-known works were continually revived during the 20th century, and many of his operettas continue to be staged in the 21st. "The Tales of Hoffmann" remains part of the standard opera repertory.

​Jacques Offenbach lived in Bad Ems for eight years at the height of his creative powers and premiered a large number of his works in the famous Marble Hall. The Grand Prix is​​celebrated there, in the only original hall that has been preserved. The Jacques Offenbach Society is also based in Bad Ems.


FUN FACT!
Jacques Offenbach frequently visited Bad Ems as a spa guest, as a composer seeking a restorative yet creative environment, and also to work as a director at the Kurhaus during the summer seasons. Before the premiere of his one-act opera "Lischen & Fritzchen" in 1863, Offenbach went to the Marble Hall (Marmorsaal) where both concerts were being held and where the casino operated, among other things, the roulette table. Offenbach gambled and...lost. When the croupier went to collect the money, his abacus broke. The young Kapellmeister Lindheim seized the handle of the broken abacus and turned to Offenbach, saying, "Maestro, if you will allow me, I will use this trophy to conduct your new piece!" And so it happened. Furthermore, Lindheim was appointed musical director of the Théâtre des Variétés that same year. On December 17, 1864, Lindheim conducted the world premiere of Offenbach's "La belle Hélène" at the Hotel "Stadt Wiesbaden," a work partly composed in Bad Ems. He is said to have once again used his talisman, a broken rake from Ems, as his conductor's baton. "La belle Hélène" became Offenbach's second international success, following "Orphée aux Enfers" of 1858, the majority of which was also composed in Bad Ems.

The Jacques Offenbach Society
​in Bad Ems

The Jacques Offenbach Society was founded on October 19, 1979 and it is based in Bad Ems, a location chosen because Jacques Offenbach repeatedly visited the Lahn River during the summer spa season between 1858 and 1870. His primary motivation was relaxation. He sought and found his audience there, as a significant portion of the guests came from France, particularly Paris. Thus, Offenbach brought his own ensemble, conducted his own works, and continued to work on new pieces for the winter in Paris. Significant parts of his "Orpheus," for example, were composed in the relaxed atmosphere of the fashionable spa town of Bad Ems. Emser's pride also includes the eight works that premiered in the still-preserved marble hall, including "Les Bavards" (1862), "Il Signor Fagotto" (1863), "Lischen et Fritzchen" (1863), "Jeanne qui pleure et Jean qui rit" (1864) and "Coscoletto" (1865).
The Jacques Offenbach Society is a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting Offenbach's work through performances and scholarly research. Is this necessary? Isn't Offenbach's music performed all over the country? Yes, but it's almost always the same pieces. Jean-Claude Yon's catalogue lists 110 works. But who has ever heard of "Tromb-Al-Ca-Zar" (1856), "Les Trois Baisers du diable" (1857), "Mesdames de la Halle" (1858), "Geneviève de Brabant" (1859/67), "Le Fifre enchanté" (1864/68), "Les Bergers" (1865), "La Diva" (1869), "Madame l'Archiduc" (1874), or "La Foire Saint-Laurent" (1874)? There's much to be done!

The new Festival
​Offenbachiade
in Bad Ems

This summer, a new festival is born in Bad Ems; Offenbachiade.
A festival entirely dedicated to the composer, taking place 
​7th-9th August 2026 .The three-day "Offenbachiade" is an internationally oriented music festival.
The composer Jacques Offenbach visited Bad Ems almost annually for spa treatments between 1858 and 1870, and many of his works originated here. The "Offenbachiade" also marks the start of a four-year music festival, during which original works will be performed at the historic site.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFO AND PROGRAM.