Dive into music at Genève-Plage

For three evenings on the shores of Lake Geneva, a live orchestra and cinema compose the score. The 7th consecutive OSR Festival at Genève-Plage celebrates summer in free-spirited style, with musicians, instruments and an audience gathered by the pool.

For an exceptional summer sunset, look no further than the municipal pool at Genève-Plage, which opened in 1932 when “urban beaches” were all the rage. Here there’s no red velvet or hushed silence. Instead, pop-up chairs, blankets and refreshments are all welcome, offering a new way of listening that’s less ceremony, more sensation. Sometimes the wind joins in, as the spectacular light fades across the lake and silhouettes relax. In this shifting outdoor setting, the notes resonate differently, shaping a different kind of musical journey. And yet, from the opening bars, the emotion remains intact — carried by the mastery of the OSR.

This open-air triptych runs from 13-15 August 2026, with three portals into the orchestra’s wide-ranging offering. Opening the symphonic programme is “American Summer”, with virtuoso Margaryta Grynyvetska on the podium and Valentine Michaud, the Franco-Swiss prize-winning solo saxophonist. On the 14th, there’s a film-concert built around Alfred Hitchcock’s The Lodger, a landmark silent movie. The festival then closes with a jazz tribute to Joséphine Baker, all swing and elegance, performed by the OSR.

When image and music unite
The film-concert is the beating heart of this summer edition, as the live orchestra performs with absolute precision. Conductor Philippe Béran highlights that the challenge is both in total synchronisation and intention, finding the perfect balance of remaining faithful to the image while ensuring musical autonomy, so as to extend and amplify the sound. The result is an immersive experience, where sight and listening build the story together.

This dialogue is part of a broader strategy for the OSR, who — for severaal seasons now — has developed film-concerts as a gateway for reaching new audiences, especially younger ones. Three additional family-friendly film-concerts are already on the upcoming agenda, accompanying the slapstick comedy of Laurel and Hardy, the eccentric universe of The Addams Family — naturally scheduled for Halloween — and even the magic of Harry Potter in May 2027 at the Arena.

Both the film-concerts and the Genève-Plage venue — outside the OSR’s traditional walls — allow the orchestra to bridge genres and reach audiences in new ways, driven by the expressive passion of the musicians and conductors like Philippe Béran. The common thread is still high-level soloists, exacting leadership and a strong musical coherence, in line with the OSR’s mission. You may attend the festival for the experience, but you will leave with a conviction: beneath the open sky, in a freer format, the music of the OSR still moves with exactly the same precision.

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