Ötscherland experiences an influx of high culture with the Chopin Festival
The 41st Chopin Festival: A Celebration of European and Asian Musical Culture
The 41st edition of the Chopin Festival is set to captivate audiences in Austria's Ötscherland region from August 14 to 17, 2025. This prestigious event, taking place at the Charterhouse Church (Kartausenkirche) in Gaming and other locations, promises a colourful, diverse, and freely accessible program filled with treats for music lovers.
The festival is under the leadership of President Theodor Kanitzer, who recently sent a message of peace against the wars in Ukraine and Palestine. As a testament to the festival's global significance, it features high-level musical culture from seven European and Asian countries.
The opening event of the festival will take place on Thursday evening at the "Cathedral of the Erlauf Valley", Scheibbs parish church. The Polish choir Resonans con tutti will perform a prelude at 6 pm, setting the tone for an enchanting evening.
Frédéric Chopin, a European musician of global stature, is the spirit of the festival. The Bullybursti Ensemble's performance on Saturday morning at the Kartause will be based on the theme "Chopin and the Art of Fingering".
Prize-winning soloists such as Yinqi Wang, Piotr Koscik, Anna Maria Niemiec, Manfred Wagner-Artzt, Clara Biermasz, and others will grace the stages of the festival. The Tamburizza Hornstein ensemble, a Burgenland-Croatian folk music ensemble, will perform on the Lunz lake stage on Sunday evening, concluding the festival.
A festival highlight is the Nocturno, a candlelit concert featuring various soloists. The concert on Sunday evening will be a matinee in the Kartausenkirche, providing a fitting finale to the festival.
The Bullybursti Ensemble, a septet of sound artists, will also perform at the Kartause on Saturday morning. While the performers at the festival are broadly noted as exceptional musicians from Asia and Europe, the name of the festival’s vice president is not explicitly provided in the available information.
The opening concert on Friday will feature the Resonans con tutti, the first women's chamber orchestra of Austria, pianists Donka Angatscheva, and Yves Henry. Angatscheva, who brings international concert experience and fresh artistic energy to the festival, serves as Vice President.
Theatre Kanitzer, in a show of solidarity, has also expressed a message of peace, underscoring the festival's commitment to promoting harmony and unity through music. The 41st Chopin Festival promises to be a memorable event, bringing together exceptional musicians and audiences in a celebration of music and culture.
[1] Festival Location: www.chopinfestival.at [2] Performers: www.chopinfestival.at/performers [3] Schedule: www.chopinfestival.at/schedule [4] Radio.string.quartet: www.radio.string.quartet.at [5] Ticketing Information: www.chopinfestival.at/tickets
- The International Chopin Festival, with its diverse program, encompasses home-and-garden settings, entertainment, and even a touch of lifestyle, as the Tamburizza Hornstein ensemble's performance on the Lunz lake stage showcases the regional culture and community.
- Festival Vice President, Donka Angatscheva, brings her international concert experience and fresh artistic energy to the event, underscoring the festival's commitment to fostering unity through music and featuring a variety of genres such as classical music, reflected in the performances by the Bullybursti Ensemble and the Radio.string.quartet.
