With just a few days to go before the 62nd Sion Festival gets underway, we can feel the excitement, joy and impatience building as we look forward to sharing some memorable and unforgettable moments with you. For its opening weekend, this new edition curated by Pavel Vernikov and Janine Jansen will sweep you away in a whirlwind of music, in a kaleidoscope of contrasting sounds and emotions.

A festive event will take place before the opening concert this Friday, 21 August, at Sion Cathedral: State Councillor (Regional Minister) Mathias Reynard will present the Valais State’s Culture and Economy Award 2026 to the Sion Festival in recognition of its commitment, spanning more than 60 years, to the region’s musical and economic life.

Music will then take centre stage again. The SLIXS vocal ensemble will join forces with violinists Pavel Vernikov and Svetlana Makarova and Camerata Chișinău, conducted by Valentin Uryupin, to open the festival with an audacious programme blending classical music with swing, Bach with Kancheli…

Immediately afterwards, Musique en fête will take you on a 24-hour musical tour of the town of Sion, featuring 15 free concerts – including three ‘Concerts du Cœur’. To round off this journey through places, eras and styles, tango and classical music will merge with the Guttman Tango Ensemble on Saturday 22 August at the Pôle Musique .

This festival’s first weekend will draw to a spectacular close at NODA BCVS on Sunday 23 August. Led by Pascal Emonet, Fanfaribole and Fanfare du Losange will join forces with the multi-talented singer Neïma Naouri in an high-energy pop-jazz programme aptly titled Wow.

The final concert will showcase the richness of the repertoire from the first half of the 20th century, featuring, in particular, Rachmaninov’s formidable Piano Concerto No. 3. The Camerata Chișinău and Valentin Uryupin will accompany Simon Trpčeski.

 

Opening Concert

Detailled Programme ->

 

Rachmaninov and Prokofiev