Music, art and tradition experienced together: Haydn Orchestra, Museion, the vibrant city of Laives

October marks the beginning of the Haydn Foundation’s 2026/27 Season, featuring an extensive programme that brings together 30 symphonic concerts between Bolzano Bozen and Trento, four opera productions, the traditional New Year’s Concert, and a rich selection of events taking place across more than 30 locations throughout the region.

Several key elements define this season: artistic excellence, a wide variety of programmes and performers, dialogue between emerging talents and internationally acclaimed artists, an international outlook combined with a strong commitment to local resources, and a particular focus on contemporary music. At the heart of the programme lies the idea of “discovering together”: music as a shared experience between artists and audiences, shaped through diverse formats designed to strengthen the connection with the local community.

The repertoire spans more than three centuries, from the eighteenth century to the present day. Alongside masterpieces by composers such as Haydn, Mozart, Cherubini, Mendelssohn, Brahms, Schubert, Schumann, Bruckner, Dvořák, Wagner, Strauss and Schönberg, audiences will also encounter rarely performed works and lesser-known composers including François-Adrien Boieldieu, Louise Farrenc, Étienne Nicolas Méhul, Ralph Vaughan Williams, Ermanno Wolf-Ferrari, Francis Poulenc and Paul Hindemith.

Contemporary music plays a particularly prominent role this season, while internationally renowned soloists will perform alongside a new generation of rising artists. Another distinctive feature is the programme’s European dimension. The Year-End and New Year concerts, entitled “Embrace One Another, Millions!”, offer a musical journey through different traditions and styles, while the Concert for Peace will feature Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony to commemorate the bicentenary of the composer’s death.

From music to contemporary art, Museion will open TIME on 17 October (running until 14 March 2027), the third and final chapter of the first comprehensive European retrospective dedicated to RAMMELLZEE (1960–2010), one of the most influential and enigmatic figures of New York’s 1980s art scene. Artist, theorist, musician and performer, RAMMELLZEE developed a unique artistic language that moved freely between painting, sculpture, writing, music and performance. His work was deeply shaped by the theories of “Gothic Futurism” and “Ikonoklast Panzerism”, formulated in 1979 and developed throughout his life.

Created in collaboration with the Palais de Tokyo in Paris and the CAPC Musée d’Art Contemporain de Bordeaux, where the first two chapters were presented, TIME arrives in Bolzano as the project’s only Italian venue and final presentation. While the exhibitions in Paris and Bordeaux explored the breadth of the artist’s production and cultural networks, Museion’s chapter focuses on a lesser-known yet fundamental aspect of his career: his relationship with Italy.

Meanwhile, in Laives, just a few minutes from Bolzano, food enthusiasts can take part in a unique tasting experience dedicated to South Tyrol’s most iconic agricultural product: the apple. At Emma Con Gusto farm shop, visitors can discover a range of handcrafted organic apple products. By smelling, tasting and comparing different aromas, jams, chutneys, juices and dried apples, participants gain insight into the remarkable diversity of local flavours. Holders of the Bolzano Bozen Card benefit from a reduced participation fee of €8 instead of €10.

Another event not to be missed takes place on 27 September, also in Laives. On the occasion of the European Heritage Days, established to raise awareness of the importance of protecting, preserving and promoting cultural heritage, a variety of activities will be held from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Church of Blessed Henry of Bolzano in La Costa above Laives. Expert-guided tours of the church, an educational exhibition on the history of the sacred building and the cult of Blessed Henry of Bolzano, musical performances, choirs and folk groups will offer visitors an enjoyable day celebrating art, history and local traditions.

Image: Leifers-Laives, Courtesy Ass. turistica Laives/Thomas Monsorno