The Ascona Music Weeks are changing their name, but they're not abandoning the legacy that has defined them for over eight decades. Starting in its 81st edition, scheduled for September 18th to October 10th, 2026, the festival will have a new identity: classic Ascona.
The change isn't just about the name. The project, artistically led by Christoph Müller, artistic director of the Menuhin Festival in Gstaad for 24 years, expands its scope of activities and complements traditional concerts with a series of programs dedicated to education, new generations, and the intersection of music and various venues in the Locarno area.
The program for the new edition includes a total of 50 events spread across 18 venues. Three weeks of activities and four weekends will feature concerts, masterclasses, workshops, interdisciplinary events, and choral initiatives, involving Ascona, Locarno, and other towns in the region. The new name comes after the festival celebrated its 80th anniversary and marks the beginning of a new phase that intends to maintain its ties to tradition while also opening up to new audiences and new ways of participating.
From the Music Weeks to classicAscona
The choice to adopt the name classicAscona therefore represents a step towards continuity and transformation. The legacy built by the Music Weeks remains the starting point, while the festival's structure develops along multiple lines.
The 19 excellent concerts continue to form the main axis of the event, but around this core are added the activities of the classicAscona Academy , the Next Generation projects , the Terra d'Artisti – Sehnsucht Ticino meetings and, in the final part of the festival, the Ascona Choral Academy.
According to the program's approach, the goal is to create a program that brings together established performers, young musicians, students, educational institutions, and the public. Christoph Müller has identified this combination as a key element of the new direction, along with strengthening the relationship with the Ticino region.
Nineteen concerts with big names in international music
The lineup features top-notch performers and bands. Among the announced names are: Cecilia Bartoli, Arcadian Volodos, Nemanja Radulović, Hayato Sumino, Richard Galliano and the three artists in residence Sol Gabetta, Vilde Frang and Julia Lezhneva.
Alongside the soloists, orchestras and ensembles such as the Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen , the Kammerorchester Basel , the Camerata Salzburg , the Orchestra della Svizzera italiana , Il Giardino Armonico , I Barocchisti and the Youth Symphony Orchestra of Ukraine are expected.
Among the most eagerly awaited events is Christoph Willibald Gluck's Orfeo ed Euridice , performed on September 26 in the Church of San Francesco in Locarno with Cecilia Bartoli in the role of Orfeo, Mélissa Petit and Les Musiciens du Prince, under the direction of Gianluca Capuano.
Pianist Arcadi Volodos will perform a recital on September 19th in Ascona, while Nemanja Radulović will perform on September 25th with the Orchestra della Svizzera italiana conducted by Krzysztof Urbański. Pianist Hayato Sumino, also known as Cateen, will perform on October 4th, while Richard Galliano will bring his New Viaggio Trio to Ascona on October 7th.
Three artists in residence at the heart of the program
One of the main novelties of classicAscona 2026 is the role entrusted to the three Artists in Residence: cellist Sol Gabetta, violinist Vilde Frang and soprano Julia Lezhneva.
Each will perform three concerts and lead a three-day masterclass. The educational activities will not be separate from the rest of the festival, but will be incorporated directly into the program, with lectures and final concerts open to the public.
Julia Lezhneva will open the festival on September 18th with Mozart's Great Mass in C Minor, before returning for two more events dedicated to vocal and operatic repertoire. Vilde Frang will perform programs spanning a variety of repertoires and ensembles, while Sol Gabetta will present three concerts featuring chamber and orchestral repertoire.
The new Academy and space for younger generations
Strengthening educational activities is one of the most evident elements of the new project. The classicAscona Academy will involve conservatory students, young professionals, musicians in training, amateurs, and younger students through courses, workshops, and activities developed in collaboration with Ticino educational institutions.
The program includes masterclasses dedicated to singing, violin, and cello, as well as the Ascona Baroque Academy and various projects aimed at younger generations. Participants will then be featured in numerous concerts, many of which are free with reservations.
The masterclasses by Julia Lezhneva, Vilde Frang, and Sol Gabetta will welcome select groups of young musicians, with a portion of the spaces reserved for students of the Conservatorio della Svizzera italiana. Participation is free, and accommodation is covered by the project. Each program concludes with a public concert.
From Baroque music to interdisciplinary projects
Another segment of the event is represented by Terra d'Artisti – Sehnsucht Ticino , a series of events that connects music, literature, gastronomy, architecture and local places.
The common thread running through some of the meetings will be the Gotthard Pass, explored through Zora del Buono's writing and discussions with other key figures. The meeting is scheduled for September 20th at Monte Verità, followed by a second meeting on September 27th at Locarno's Castello Visconteo, and a third on October 4th at the Brissago Islands.
On September 22nd, Bordei, in the Centovalli area, will host a meeting of baroque music and vegetarian cuisine with Maurice Steger and Pietro Leemann. On October 3rd, cellist Mario Brunello will lead an event in Mogno that will combine music, architecture, and a guided walk around the church designed by Mario Botta.
More than 200 choristers for the Ascona Choral Academy
The final week of classicAscona 2026 will be largely dedicated to choral music. From October 5th to 10th, the Ascona Choral Academy will bring together over 200 choristers from Switzerland and Europe.
The project will be led by the Tenebrae Choir of London, led by director Nigel Short. The week will include workshops, rehearsals, Evensong, and concerts. The program will culminate in a day during which the choirs will also perform in the streets and squares of Ascona.
A Sing Along event is also planned , which will directly involve the audience at certain moments, and two evening concerts by the Tenebrae Choir. The Academy's activities will be open to the public and free, with reservations required.
The peace concert will close the festival
The event concludes on October 10th at the Church of San Francesco in Locarno. The Peace Concert will feature the Youth Symphony Orchestra of Ukraine, conducted by Oksana Lyniv, along with soloists and the classicAscona Festival Choir, with the participation of the Tenebrae Choir.
The program features Antonín Dvořák's Stabat Mater . This performance will simultaneously close the festival and the Ascona Choral Academy's program. The presence of the Ukrainian Youth Orchestra is particularly significant given the difficulties that have forced the ensemble to continue part of its activities through international collaborations and residencies since the war began.
A program distributed throughout the Locarno area
The new structure of classicAscona is also reflected in the geographic distribution of events. Ascona and Locarno remain the festival's main hubs, with the Church of San Francesco and the Church of Collegio Papio among the venues for the main concerts, but the program also extends to Ronco sopra Ascona, Brissago, Losone-Arcegno, the Centovalli, the Vallemaggia, and the Brissago Islands.
In addition to paid concerts, the calendar includes numerous events dedicated to young people and the Academy's projects. The official program includes free concerts, open masterclasses, and opportunities to observe the work of musicians and students up close. The aim is to offer traditional classical music audiences new opportunities for access and participation.
With classicAscona 2026 , an event born over eighty years ago enters a new phase. The historic core of major concerts remains intact, while the program expands to include training, interdisciplinary projects, and the participation of younger generations.
The outcome will be clear from September 18th to October 10th, when Locarno will host 50 events and a network of artists, orchestras, choirs, students, and institutions called upon to create the first edition of a festival that is changing its name, structure, and perspective, without severing its ties with its history.
Full program and tickets: www.classicascona.ch
