Sion Festival kicks off: celebrating 60 years
Since 1964, the Sion Festival has punctuated the summers of the Valais capital. And before each new edition, we feel the same excitement, the same emotion, which we hope is shared by you, our dear spectators. However, this edition takes on a special flavor: it’s both the sixtieth and the first programmed by Pavel Vernikov and Janine Jansen, our fabulous artistic co-directors.
To kick things off, the Sion Festival will be celebrating its anniversary without moderation. On Saturday August 17, the “Musique en fête” day will pay tribute to the father of the event, the great Hungarian violinist Tibor Varga, while the concert on Sunday August 18 will be dedicated to the festival’s flagship instrument, the violin. The opening evening, Friday August 16, will take you into the enchanting world of Richard Galliano and his chameleon accordion.
The Sion Festival continues on Thursday August 22, with the first concert programmed by Janine Jansen. The famous violinist, who is also the protagonist of “her” concerts, will be surrounded by friends and talented musicians of the new generation. Until September 4, 13 exceptional concerts and shows await you at Théâtre de Valère (Sion), Cathédrale de Sion, Théâtre Le Baladin (Savièse) and Salle Recto-Verso (Grône).
We look forward to celebrating 60 years of “our” festival with you!
With our warmest regards
The Sion Violon Musique Foundation Team
16.08, Théâtre de Valère: Opening concert with Galliano
After his appearance in 2022, Richard Galliano returns to Sion with a new arrangement of his concerto Il Passaggio for violin, harp, accordion, harpsichord, strings and percussion, written especially for the festival. He will perform it alongside Svetlana Makarova, Letizia Belmondo and the South Czech Philharmonic conducted by Jan Talich. Galliano will also perform his version of Piazzolla’s iconic composition Oblivion, while the South Czech Philharmonic will add a Slavic touch to the evening.
Click here for details and tickets
17.08, Sion: Musique en fête – A nod to Tibor Varga
The “Musique en fête” day will honor Tibor Varga, the Hungarian violinist and pedagogue who founded the Sion Festival in 1964. Starting at 7 a.m. at the Maison Supersaxo in Sion, 10 free concerts will take place in well-known and unusual locations between the old town and the new Pôle Musique, all of them a tribute to the father of the festival, his native country and his ties with his adopted canton. In partnership with the Conservatoire Cantonal, HEMU – Valais-Wallis and Schubertiade Sion.
Click here for the detailed program
18.08, Théâtre de Valère: Violon mon amour – The violin in the spotlight
Violon mon amour is the title of the second evening at the Théâtre de Valère, dedicated to the festival’s 60th anniversary. It will bring together some of the winners of the Tibor Varga and Tibor Junior competitions: Gyula Stuller, who shares his Hungarian origins with Tibor Varga, Anna Agafia Egholm, Lora Markova and Seohyun Kim, joined by Svetlana Makarova and Pavel Vernikov – artistic director of the festival since 2012. Their program, spanning the centuries, will reveal the many facets of the violin, in dialogue with the Festival Orchestra.
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Steinway Spirio piano exhibition and demonstration
A Steinway Spirio grand piano will be on display from August 16 to 18 at the Jesuit Church in Sion. Schedules will be published on our website. On August 17 at 6.30pm, the public will be able to attend a short demonstration of this “world’s most refined” high-definition automatic grand piano. In collaboration with Hug Steinway Lausanne.