Salzburg Easter Festival 

The founding of the Salzburg Easter Festival

The Salzburg Easter Festival was founded in 1967 by Herbert von Karajan as an addition to the Salzburg Festival in August and quickly established itself as an exclusive and artistically brilliant festival. Herbert von Karajan's basic idea in founding the Easter Festival was the desire to further develop the festival idea in Salzburg, whereby the Easter Festival never saw itself as an offshoot of the Salzburg Festival in the summer, but was able to develop a completely independent profile. This could only be achieved through first-class directors, top-class performers and sophisticated opera productions.

Salzburg Easter Festival — Program 2026

The return of the Berliner Philharmoniker and a new "Ring des Nibelungen" cycle
The return of the orchestra that founded the festival begins in 2026 with the monumental Das Rheingold, conducted by Kirill Petrenko and staged by Kirill Serebrennikov. Baritone Christian Gerhaher will make his role debut as Wotan, supported by an international cast of young Wagner voices.

Monumental choral concerts
Joseph Haydn's "The Creation," conducted by Daniel Harding, is a classical oratorio that deliberately references the creation of the world.
For the first time, Gustav Mahler's famous "Symphony of a Thousand" will be performed with Petrenko and three choirs, creating a major sound event.

There will be orchestral and chamber music programs
Tugan Sokhiev will conduct Hector Berlioz's "Symphonie fantastique" and Brahms's Double Concerto. There will also be a solo concert with Janine Jansen performing Bruch's Violin Concerto.
Chamber music performances featuring members of the Berliner Philharmoniker offer a creative counterpoint to the large orchestral program.

Be Phil & Community Project
At the 2026 Salzburg Easter Festival, the Berliner Philharmoniker will invite amateur musicians from different countries to perform in a concert led by Sokhiev.

There will be dance, electro, and late-night programs
A new dance project by Damien Jalet and Kohei Nawa, as well as electronic music concerts and late-night programs, will broaden the festival's appeal to a diverse audience.

Overall, the 2026 festival promises to strike a successful balance between tradition — with Wagner's "Ring" and European choral and orchestral art — and innovative formats for a younger, more diverse audience.