Azernews.Az

By Alimat Aliyeva

The second season of the Baku International Arts Festival (BIAF), held with the support of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation and the Ministry of Culture, has featured 36 events across 13 venues in the Azerbaijani capital over a period of 12 days.

The programme included concerts, performances, ballet and theatre productions, meetings with writers, directors and visual artists, as well as masterclasses and open rehearsals.

The festival brought together more than 500 participants from 37 countries, including Azerbaijan, the United Kingdom, Germany, Georgia, Israel, Canada, Monaco, Russia, the United States and France. Its total audience exceeded 10,000 visitors.

Contemporary performing arts were showcased in a wide variety of forms, ranging from classical masterpieces that have become part of the world's artistic heritage to experimental productions combining music, dance, visual arts and modern technology.

One of the key features of the second season was its ambition to move beyond the traditional touring format. Alongside concerts and theatrical performances, the festival organised creative meetings, public discussions, open rehearsals, masterclasses and educational programmes.

Another important aspect was collaboration between international artists and Azerbaijani cultural organisations and educational institutions.

This year's participants included pianists Lukas Geniušas and Farhad Badalbeyli, trumpeter Tine Thing Helseth, violinists David Garrett and Maxim Vengerov, visual artists William Kentridge and Manal AlDowayan, theatre directors Lev Dodin, Levan Gabriadze and Romeo Castellucci, and choreographers Shahar Binyamini, Akram Khan and Sharon Eyal.

The list of distinguished guests also featured conductors Dmitry Sitkovetsky and Fuad Ibrahimov, historian Peter Frankopan, and internationally acclaimed theatre and ballet companies.

Among them were the Maly Drama Theatre – Theatre of Europe, Israel's Gesher Theatre presenting a new production by Dmitry Krymov, the Rezo Gabriadze Marionette Theatre, and English National Ballet performing works by William Forsythe and Crystal Pite. The Ballet of Monte-Carlo also presented choreographer Jean-Christophe Maillot's celebrated interpretation of Swan Lake.

A special BIAF Orchestra was established for the festival, bringing together talented musicians from various European countries. Most of the participating artists performed in Azerbaijan for the first time as part of the BIAF programme.

Festival participants praised Baku's distinctive atmosphere, high standards of safety and comfort, architectural beauty and rich culinary traditions. They also highlighted the hospitality of local residents and the enthusiasm and appreciation shown by audiences at the performances.

BIAF 2026 took place at several prominent cultural venues across the capital, including the Muslim Magomayev Azerbaijan State Academic Philharmonic Hall, the Azerbaijan State Academic National Drama Theatre, the Heydar Aliyev Center, the Azerbaijan State Academic Musical Theatre, the Heydar Aliyev Palace and the Stone Chronicle Museum.

Today, Baku is a dynamic, open and tolerant city that serves as a bridge between East and West. As one of the world's modern capitals, it is increasingly hosting major international sporting competitions, large-scale business forums and high-profile gatherings attended by political and business leaders from around the world.

Historically, Baku was an important stop along the Silk Road and a meeting point for representatives of different nations and religions. Today, the city continues this tradition by bringing countries and cultures together while setting high standards for international events.

The Baku International Arts Festival has become an integral part of this vision, contributing directly to the development of an international, multicultural and multidisciplinary platform for the arts.