Who are we?
Christine Gastaud - President of the festival les nocturnes du piano
For 40 years, I've had the chance to practice the most beautiful profession in the world, sharing my love of the piano with young children, teenagers and young adults.
The Festival Les Nocturnes du piano, initiated in 2022, is the combination of two passions in my life: the piano and transmission.
It is with great pleasure that I have entrusted the artistic direction of the Samson François International Piano Competition to Nicolas Bringuier, an exceptional artist and regular participant in the greatest international competitions.
In 2022, 120 candidates applied, and in 2025, 180 candidates were registered...
A competition that plays an important role on the global stage.
Every year, we are delighted to invite the winner of the Samson François Grand Prix to give a recital as part of the Festival Les Nocturnes du piano.
Nicolas Bringuier - Artistic Director
The 4th edition will be an extraordinary one!
Having had the good fortune to study for many years with Bruno Rigutto, who was one of Samson François's only disciples and his "spiritual son," I am very happy that Christine Gastaud, my first teacher in Nice, has entrusted me with the artistic direction of this competition, which takes place in the wonderful setting of the Hippodrome de la Côte d'Azur. Indeed, Samson François had many strong ties to our region: he studied as a child at the Nice Conservatory, and later lived in Menton and performed very frequently in our region. Let's hope that the young pianists who take part in this event will follow in his footsteps!
NICOLAS BRINGUIER, Artistic Director