Brussels tunes into operetta glamour with Isabelle Jacques and Lionel Bams at Design Museum

On Monday 1 June 2026, the Design Museum Brussels will swap pure design for musical theatre glamour as soprano Isabelle Jacques and pianist Lionel Bams bring a bright, witty programme of operetta and opéra-comique to the museum floor. Presented by the museum in partnership with Pizzicato, the concert promises a playful evening where music, stagecraft and elegance meet inside one of Brussels’ most distinctive cultural spaces.

A sparkling lyrical escape

There is something especially fitting about this recital landing at the Design Museum Brussels, where form, style and atmosphere already shape the visitor experience before a single note is played. The museum frames the event as a new way to experience classical music, with the works interacting with the exhibition space to create a sensory dialogue between sound and design.

That setting works perfectly for a programme rooted in theatrical charm. From the satirical sparkle of Jacques Offenbach to the Viennese flair of Johann Strauss II, the evening leans into repertoire that is playful, dramatic and deliciously performative.

Offenbach, Strauss and beyond

At the heart of the concert sits a joyful selection of Offenbach favourites, including excerpts from La Grande-Duchesse de Gérolstein, La Périchole, La Vie parisienne and Pomme d’api. These are works full of irony, flirtation and comic timing, written to seduce audiences with both melody and mischief.

The programme then widens its scope with Strauss’s Eine Nacht in Venedig and Die Fledermaus, before moving through a string of French and European stage gems by Henri Christiné, Maurice Yvain, Kurt Weill, Paul Beydts, Casimir Oberfeld, Raoul Moretti / Szulcz and Paul Aizic. Rather than sticking to the obvious canon, the recital also makes room for lesser-known songs that carry the same theatrical wit and sparkling irreverence.

Two artists of the lyric stage

Belgian soprano Isabelle Jacques has built a strong reputation on the Belgian and French-speaking opera scene, especially in comic opera and operetta. In recent seasons, she appeared as Dinah in Bernstein’s Trouble in Tahiti at the PBA in Charleroi, debuted at the Opéra Comique in Paris in Le Domino Noir, and received prizes at both the Béziers Competition in 2024 and the Brussels National Operetta Competition in 2022.

Lionel Bams, a pianist and vocal coach specialised in accompaniment, trained in Couvin, Dinant, Liège and Brussels before performing at venues including Bozar, La Monnaie, Flagey and the Lille Opera. He also teaches at the Conservatoires of Brussels and Mons as well as at the Queen Elisabeth Music Chapel, bringing deep experience in vocal repertoire to this Brussels recital.

Practical info

What: Concert with Isabelle Jacques (soprano) and Lionel Bams (piano).
When: Monday 1 June 2026, 7 pm.
Duration: 1 hour.
Where: Design Museum Brussels, Place de Belgique 1, 1020 Brussels.
Price: Free.
Registration: barbarawitkowska@pizzicato.be / 0479 57 41 66.

Useful links

Registration: barbarawitkowska@pizzicato.be

Design Museum Brussels event page: designmuseum.brussels

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