The proposals span all periods of literature, from Baroque to contemporary to new music, from non-European traditions to border languages, with reinterpretations and traversals of ever-diverse eras, styles, and sonic geographies, looking to the future, including the future of tradition. The artists involved—among the greatest on the global scene—reflect this stylistic koinè: Switzerland, Central Europe, the Mediterranean, the Middle East, the Nordic region, and the United States are not labels of identity, but rather specific places where music was developed, emblems of the history of the schools to which they belong.
The LAC season It opens on September 12th with the Gala Concert Opera for Peace AcademyNine young singers selected at international level will take the stage and present the results of a week of intense work, alongside from the Orchestra of Italian Switzerland directed by Kamal Khan, who curated the project.
One of the key chapters of the season's narrative plot is the piano, a key instrument in the history of music. The journey begins in a border zone with Hiromi: The Trio Project feat. James Genus on Bass and Simon Phillips on drums (October 29), where the pianism of Hiromi It absorbs jazz, rock, fusion, and classical music. The piano is also an irreplaceable companion for the voice: it arrives at the LAC Asmik Grigorian (January 20), one of the most acclaimed sopranos on the contemporary scene who, with the pianist Lukas Geniuš, will interpret the pages of romances by Tchaikovsky and Rachmaninov. Pure pianism, however, is that of the extraordinary Evgeny Kissin (February 5) which focuses the listening on Beethoven, of Hélène Grimaud (June 8), which brings together two testamentary extremes, the last two Sonatas by Beethoven and Schubert, of the tightrope walker Yuja Wang (June 17), engaged in the dual role of soloist and director of the Mahler Chamber Orchestra in the two Brahms concertos.
Fazil Say, “visionary” pianist together with the Camerata Salzburg (April 30) touches on the purity of Mozart's Concerto K 414, set between two intense pages of his own composition. The concert concludes with Schubert's Symphony No. 5. But the piano is also Ólafur Arnalds (May 6), Icelandic pianist and composer, one of the most important figures on the contemporary scene.
The great symphonic repertoire, entrusted to the major orchestras and the most authoritative conductors, constitutes a further paragraph of the 2026/27 season. It starts from the solidity of the classical structure of Daniele Gatti on the podium of the Staatskapelle Dresden (October 28), of which he has been principal conductor since 2024, which in its program includes Beethoven's Violin Concerto op. 61 interpreted by Augustin Hadelich, and Brahms' Symphony No. 2. Another illustrious presence is that of Freiburg Baroque Orchestra and Collegium Vocale Ghent (December 5) directed by the equally famous Pablo Heras-Married, engaged – with original instruments – in the Overture “in style Italian” D 590 and in the Symphony No. 9 by Schubert and in The Death of Dido by Rossini in the interpretation of soprano Julie Fuchs. In Easter Eve Diego Fasolis climbs onto the podium The Barocchisti, from the Swiss Radio and Television Choir and OSI (March 27) for Beethoven's Missa Solemnis.
La Zurich Chamber Orchestra (April 18) with Julia Hagen, in the comparison between Saint-Georges, Haydn and Beethoven, reabsorbs the discourse in an extended form that does not, however, renounce the precision of chamber music thought. The boundaries between the arts are overcome with revolt (March 1st), project of the Geneva Camerata driven by David Greilsammer, on choreographies by Kader Attou e Grishka, which offers a radical reinterpretation of Dmitri Shostakovich's Symphony No. 5.
A different structure of symphonism emerges with Tovel (aka Matteo Franceschini).
Silver Lion for Music at the 2019 Venice Biennale, in his songbook – commissioned by the Biennale itself – (November 18), redefines the very notion of orchestral writing, in a project created in co-production with the Conservatory of Italian Switzerland.
After the success of the screening of Psycho di Alfred Hitchcock with live music, the season offers a unique opportunity to see the masterpiece on the big screen Ridley Scott, Blade Runner (November 14th and 15th) with the legendary soundtrack of Vangelis performed by The Avex Ensemble.
Star Wars Between Music and Science (May 8) is a journey into cinema through music and narration, suspended between science and science fiction. On stage Luca Perri, astrophysicist and popularizer, who will lead the public on a symphonic journey through distant galaxies, science and cinematic imagination, accompanied by the music of John Williams in the interpretation of the Milan Symphony Orchestra directed by Jacopo Brusa.
For chamber music this year the LAC is starting a collaboration with The Quartet's Homes, a Milanese organisation active in the promotion of young ensembles selected at an international level, through three concerts brought together under the theme “Grand Tour". The Desguin Kwartet (January 24) engaged in a journey that leads from Puccini, Debussy and Frank Martin to Schubert; Våren Quartet (February 21) which brings together Schubert, Verdi, Ravel and Mendelssohn;Helix Trio (March 21) which through Clara Schumann, Domenico Turi, Schubert, Juon and Ravel, introduces a different grammar of instrumental interaction.
I Soloists of La Scala Fabrizio Meloni, Sandro Laffranchini e Francesco Libetta (April 4) bring into the cycle the density of a practice matured at the highest level, with a programme from Beethoven to Tenco between memory and contemporary writing.
With Don Li Cosmotonic Experience (September 20), made in collaboration with Jazz in BessThe project moves from the theater to Piazza Luini. The multifaceted Don Li takes the audience on a six-hour, seamless musical and theatrical journey, both around and within his work. Orbital Garden Satellite, where nine musicians and a performer bring to life a new immersive experience in music. Maybe a Concert (29 and 30 September) created by Raissa Avilés, Swiss singer, performer and author of Mexican origins, the boundary between concert and stage action becomes increasingly blurred.The evenings are a preview of the 35th edition of the FIT International Theatre Festival and of the contemporary scene. With Dhafer Youssef (October 16) The boundary shifts to the intercultural level. The oud, viewed in its historical context, is inserted into a context that includes jazz and electronic music.
The concert of Roberto Pianca Quartet feat. Johnathan Blake (November 11, Jazz in Bess venue) adds to the improvisational performances of the Ticino guitarist the presence of Jonathan Blake, a central figure on the American scene.
The Norwegian trumpeter and composer Nils Petter Molvær arrives at the LAC in the section dedicated to jazz, to offer with his ensemble (January 10th) a sound tapestry woven on rarefied atmospheres, evocative soundscapes with influences ranging from ambient and dub to post-rock. It is Melissa Aldana, famous Chilean saxophonist, among the most authoritative voices of contemporary tenor saxophone, who with the Melissa Aldana Quartet proposes (March 17, Jazz in Bess venue), a concert that always becomes a territory of sound explorations of sensual elegance. With Kinan Azmeh & CityBand (May 11) the sound boundaries are stretching across multi-ethnic and overseas geographies. As part of the LAC edu project, during the Christmas holidays we will meet again this year in the Hall for A Christmas Carol – Christmas Concert at LAC (December 20), last event in a series of Christmas concerts in the churches of Lugano organized in collaboration with the Bernardino Luini Association.
Contemporary music once again finds space at the LAC through two consolidated festivals: Early Night Modern, edited by Oggimusica, and EAR – Electro Acoustic Room, project of Space21 of the Conservatory of Italian Switzerland in co-production with LAC. Oggimusica is dedicated to contemporary creation, also this season combining productions involving local and national artists with projects from further afield, with a particular focus on younger generations. Among the titles on the program: erro. 4 (November 13), Songs of Blood and Fairies (December 1st), DADA Happening (26 February), The Third Extended Wheel (March 24), Past Present (April 28), Oggimusica Meets Code 2027: The dome plus (9 April), _non-persistent.memory (10 April), Suturee – live modular synthesizer set e Fragmented Landscapes (11 April).
EAR – Electro Acoustic Room presents a series of concerts dedicated to the acousmatic repertoire, with electronic music played through a multi-channel system and accompanied by moments of in-depth exploration of themes relating to sound and listening, starting this year with guests from seemingly distant backgrounds.
Triton is instead the title of a cross-media project (3 December) – in co-production with MASI – by Wintermute, duo formed by Simone Bertuzzi e Simone Trabucchi which integrates sound and visual forms into complex audio-video installations, creating immersive environments.
The summer review is back LAC en plein air, which is celebrating its nineth anniversary and is being renewed by being divided into two distinct moments, entrusted to two different curators, consistent with the artistic vision of the LAC. From June 26th to July 4th, six evenings conceived by Saul Beretta, which once again outlines a journey through jazz, blues, and world sounds, ideally spanning Italy and Brazil. From August 21st to 30th, the program curated by the ethnomusicologist Johannes Rühl, investigates the relationship between folk music, the Alpine area and the transalpine space, paying particular attention to contemporary forms of Neue Volkmusik, with the presence of Swiss artists and projects.
