The 2026 Concerts
A celebration of classical music, art in general, landscapes, and history.
Past concerts
19:30 | Concerto per la pace – Concert for Peace
Soprano: Maria Stella Maurizi
Contralto: Freya Apffelstaedt
Tenor: Salvador Villanueva
Bass: Lobel Barun
Ascona Festival Choir with the Participation of the Tenebrae Choir
Youth Symphony Orchestra of Ukraine
Conductor: Oksana Lyniv
18:00 | Costellazione Giovani | Next Generation XXI | Dmitry Yudin
Piano: Dmitry Yudin
19:30 | A Hymn of Heavenly Beauty
Tenebrae Choir (London)
Conductor: Nigel Short
21:30 | Night Concert | Medieval Chants & Tallis’s Lamentations
Tenebrae Choir (London)
Conductor: Nigel Short
19:30 | Richard Galliano | New Viaggio Trio
Accordion & Melowtone: Richard Galliano
Guitar: Adrien Moignard
Contrabass: Philippe Aerts
14:00 | Brissago Islands | Musica e Letteratura – Music and Literature | San Gottardo III
Artist: Ariela Sarbacher
Zora del Buono (Reading DE & IT)
Piano: Andriy Dragan
Curator and Moderator: Alain Claude Sulzer
19:30 | Arie di baule – Suitcase Arias: Singing Stars on the Road Julia Lezhneva III
Soprano: Julia Lezhneva
Kammerorchester Basel
Violin and Conductor: Dmitry Smirnov
17:30 | Next Generation XIII | Guitar ensemble of the Conservatorio della Svizzera Italiana
Guitar Ensemble of the Conservatorio della Svizzera Italiana
12:30 | Valle Maggia | Musica e piacere – Music & Pleasure
Violoncello and Tour Guide: Mario Brunello
19:30 | Il Dolce Far Niente | Sol Gabetta III
Conductor: Giovanni Antonini
Il Giardino Armonico
Cello: Sol Gabetta
17:45 | Youth Constellation | Next Generation XII | Elias David Moncado
Violin: Elias David Moncado
19:30 | Musica dal Cielo – Music from Heaven | Vilde Frang III
Violin: Vilde Frang
Soprano: Anna Prohaska
Viola: Nils Mönkemeyer
Piano: Olli Mustonen
Percussion: Domenico Melchiorre
Violin: Ilya Gringolts
Percussion: Johannes Fischer
17:00 | Next Generation XI | Final Concert of Sol Gabetta’s Master Class
Students
17:00 | Next Generation X | Sogni | Conservatorio della Svizzera Italiana & Accademia Teatro Dimitri
Children and Youth Academy Project
Dimitri Verscio in collaboration with the Music School/Conservatory of Locarno and the various Schools of Ascona/Locarno
19:30 | Dall’oscurità alla luce – From Darkness to Light | Sol Gabetta II
Piano: Bertrand Chamayou
Cello: Sol Gabetta
17:00 | Next Generation X | Sogni | Conservatorio della Svizzera Italiana & Accademia Teatro Dimitri
Children and Youth Academy Project
Dimitri Verscio in collaboration with the Music School/Conservatory of Locarno and the various Schools of Ascona/Locarno
19:30 | Mondi da sogno – Dream Worlds | Vilde Frang II
Violin: Vilde Frang
Viola: Lawrence Power
Violin: Ilya Gringolts
17:30 | Costellazione Giovani | Next Generation IX | Luka Coetzee
Cello: Luka Coetzee
Piano: Yukino Kaihara
19:30 | JazzAscona Meets classicAscona: Vision String Quartet & Elina Duni
Trio: Elina Duni & Rob Luft feat. Matthieu Michel
Vision String Quartet
17:00 | Next Generation VIII | Vilde Frang Master Class Final Concert
Students
18:30 | Tempeste e ardenti nostalgie – Storm and Longing | Sol Gabetta I
Conductor: Aurel Dawidiuk
Die Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen
Cello: Sol Gabetta
15:00 | Castello Visconteo | Musica e Letteratura – Music and Literature | San Gottardo II
Artist: Ariela Sarbacher
Zora del Buono (Reading DE & IT)
Wind Soloists of the Conservatorio della Svizzera Italiana
Curator and Moderator: Alain Claude Sulzer
11:00 | Next Generation VII | Ascona Baroque Academy – Final Concert II
Section leaders Baroque Orchestra “Il Pomo d’Oro”
Recorder: Maurice Steger
19:30 | Orfeo and Euridice
Mezzo-Soprano (Orfeo): Cecilia Bartoli
Soprano (Euridice & Amor): Mélissa Petit
Les Musiciens du Prince (Monaco)
Conductor: Gianluca Capuano
Choir: Il Canto di Orfeo
17:30 | Next Generation VI | Orchestra 1 of the Conservatorio della Svizzera Italiana
Orchestra 1 della Scuola di Musica del Conservatorio della Svizzera Italiana
16:00 | Next Generation V | Ascona Baroque Academy – Final Concert I
Section leaders Baroque Orchestra “Il Pomo d’Oro”
Recorder: Maurice Steger
12:00 | Spiaggia Castello del Sole | Musica e piacere – Music & Pleasure
Vocals: Nini Nutsubidze
Piano: Giorgi Gigashvili
19:30 | Pathétique
Violin: Nemanja Radulović
Conductor: Krystof Urbański
Orchestra della Svizzera italiana
17:45 | Costellazione Giovani | Next Generation IV | Sarang Seohyun Kim
Violin: Sarang Seohyun Kim
Piano: Ryan Wang
19:30 | Inspiration from Hungary | Hungarian Folk | Vilde Frang I
Violin: Vilde Frang
Piano: Martin Helmchen
Trumpet, Contratambura: Benjamin Eredics
Accordion, Flute, Tambura (Mandolin): Salamon Eredics
19:30 | Golden Age | Julia Lezhneva II
Soprano: Julia Lezhneva
Theorbo: Luca Pianca
17:00 | Next Generation III | Julia Lezhneva Master Class Final Concert
Students
16:30 | Bordei – Centovalli | Musica e Piacere – Music & Pleasure
Theorbo: Daniele Caminiti
Pietro Leemann – Pioneer of vegetarian gourmet cuisine
Recorder: Maurice Steger
11:30 | Bordei – Centovalli | Musica e Piacere – Music & Pleasure
Theorbo: Daniele Caminiti
Pietro Leemann – Pioneer of vegetarian gourmet cuisine
Recorder: Maurice Steger
19:30 | Affetti & Plaisirs | 30 Years of Barocchisti
I Barocchisti
Harpsichord and Conductor: Diego Fasolis
Recorder: Maurice Steger
18:30 | Nello specchio di Rossini – In Rossini’s Mirror
Conductor: Finnegan Downie Dear
Camerata Salzburg
Pianos: Lucas & Arthur Jussen
17:00 | Costellazione Giovani | Next Generation II | Ilya Shmukler
Piano: Ilya Shmukler
15:00 | Monte Verità | Musica e Letteratura – Music and Literature | San Gottardo I
Zora del Buono (Reading DE & IT)
Curator and Moderator: Alain Claude Sulzer
Violin: Daria Zappa
Cello: Mattia Zappa
Accordion: Danilo Boggini
17:30 | Next Generation I | Cello Ensemble of the Conservatorio della Svizzera Italiana
Violoncello & Conductor: Claude Hauri
Cello Ensemble of the Conservatorio della Svizzera Italiana
19:30 | Inaugural Concert | Julia Lezhneva I | Per Constanze: Mozart’s Great Mass
Soprano: Marie Lys
Soprano: Julia Lezhneva
Tenor: Matthew Newlin
Bass: Nicolas Brooymans
Tölzer Knabenchor
Kammerorchester Basel
Conductor: Francesco Corti
20:00 | Festival Warm-Up Concert: Tra Mondi – Between Worlds | Cornèr Banca Preview
Orchestra Sinfonica di Milano
Conductor: Emmanuel Tjeknavorian
Piano: Alexandra Dovgan
Presale
from February 1, 2026
Online:
Choose seats directly on the website: classicascona.kulturticket.ch
Payment by Visa, Mastercard, Postcard, Apple Pay, Twint or by invoice by mail or electronically.
Telephonically:
Tel: 0900 585 887 or 0900 KULTUR
Monday-Friday, 10:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m.
CHF 1.20 per minute, from landline (Switzerland)
Languages: German, English, French
Tel: +41 91 759 76 45
Language: Italian
Via e-mail:
info@classicascona.ch
Selling points:
throughout Switzerland:
Information at kulturticket.ch
In Ascona:
Tourist Infopoint Ascona, Via Papio 5
From February 1st to August 11th:
Tuesdays 9.00 to 12.00 o’clock
Starting August 17th: Monday to Friday 9.00 to 12.00 and 14.00 to 17.00 o’clock
Frequently asked questions - Answered Briefly
Where can tickets be purchased?
Tickets can be booked online at classicascona.kulturticket.ch, by phone (+41 91 759 76 45: Italian / 0900 585 887: German), or by e-mail (info@classicascona.ch). Booking offices throughout Switzerland can be found at kulturticket.ch.
In Ascona, tickets are on sale at the Tourist Infopoint (Via Papio):
Until August 16: Tuesday 9 a.m.-12 p.m.
From August 17: Monday to Friday 9 a.m.-12 p.m. and 2 p.m.-5 p.m.
Are there any discounts?
Students and apprentices aged 26 or younger receive a 50 percent discount on all presale tickets. While seats last, tickets are free at the evening box office by presenting a valid student or apprentice card. Additional discounts apply to Giovent’Musicale, CDT Club Card, Ticino Ticket, or Ascona-Locarno App holders.
Do I need to reserve a seat?
Reservations are recommended for most concerts. Tickets are also required for free concerts.
How do I get to the venues?
Here you can find information on travel, hotels, maps, and restaurant suggestions. Some venues can be reached by shuttle bus, which can be reserved in advance. Details are available from the respective concerts.
Are there pre-concert talks?
For selected concerts, there will be a free introductory talk. Further details are available in the program of each concert.
Is it allowed to film or take photographs during the concert?
No, filming and photography are generally not allowed.
How long do the concerts last?
The duration of the concerts varies and is indicated on the program page.
Is there a waiting list for sold-out concerts?
No, there is no explicit waiting list. You should check the website or ticket sales regularly, as seats or returns may become available.
Is there a box office?
Yes, the box office is available one hour before the start of the concert, while tickets are available.
Why are some concerts highly booked from the beginning?
Some seats are reserved from the beginning for Amici members, supporters, contributors, and traveling groups. If you would like to become an Amici member and benefit from the right of first refusal, you can register here.