classicAscona (Nr. 81 by Fondazione Settimane Musicali Ascona)

classicAscona(81st edition – Settimane Musicali Ascona Foundation)18 September – 10 October 2026 | Ascona, Locarno and surroundings

A leading cultural landmark in Italian-speaking Switzerland for more than 80 years, the Settimane Musicali Ascona enter a new chapter in 2026 under a new name: classicAscona. Under the artistic direction of Christoph Müller, the festival unfolds over three weeks — and four weekends — of music, encounters and experiences, featuring more than 50 events across multiple venues in the Locarno region.

At the heart of the festival are19 outstanding concertsheld in the historic churches of San Francesco in Locarno and the Collegio Papio in Ascona, with world-class artists such as Cecilia Bartoli, Nemanja Radulović, Arcadi Volodos and Richard Galliano, alongside renowned ensembles including the Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen, I Barocchisti, the Orchestra della Svizzera italiana (OSI) and the Kammerorchester Basel.

Three exceptional musicians — Sol Gabetta, Vilde Frang and Julia Lezhneva — will serve as Artists in Residence, each for a full week, presenting concerts and public masterclasses.

The festival also launches the classicAscona Academy, offering advanced training programmes in fields ranging from choral singing to baroque music, as well as the Ascona Choral Academy, which will bring together around 200 singers from across Europe alongside London’s acclaimed Tenebrae Choir for the grand finale on 10 October.

classicAscona is equally an invitation to explore the region itself. WithTicino Terra d’Artisti,a series of curated events weaves together music, literature and gastronomy in iconic locations: the Brissago Islands, Monte Verità, the village of Bordei in the Centovalli — where baroque music meets vegetarian cuisine withMichelin-star chef Pietro Leemann — and Mario Botta’s church in Mogno, in the Vallemaggia, a stop on a musical walk led by cellist Mario Brunello.

An invitation to experience even more deeply the unique atmosphere of this remarkable corner of Switzerland.