Colline in Musica 2026 : RADICI
Chamber Music Festival
The sixth edition of the Chamber Music Festival unfolds around an essential and deeply evocative theme: the concept of roots. Roots as cultural memory, as belonging to a land, as the continuity of musical tradition through the centuries. But also roots as creative origin, a generative force that nourishes the present and opens toward the future.
The Festival’s inauguration, held on June 2nd at the Castle of Guarene (coinciding with Republic Day), will feature the “Michelangelo Abbado” Chamber Orchestra and cellist Francesco Dillon. The opening concert program fully reflects the theme: the roots of the Italian twentieth century with the Invenzioni by Giorgio Federico Ghedini, the European Baroque matrix with Johann Sebastian Bach’s Brandenburg Concerto No. 3, a new commission from the young Turin-based composer and violinist Gioele Pierro, and Béla Bartók’s Divertimento for Strings, where folk tradition is transformed into a modern language.
The Festival then develops into a journey that intertwines different geographical and stylistic roots: the encounter with the Chengdu Ensemble at the State Archives of Turin, where Chinese musical tradition dialogues with Piedmontese heritage and the contemporary writing of Matteo Franceschini; early music, presented by Ensemble Armoniosa; the great Romantic repertoire of Johannes Brahms and Ernesto Chausson; and the Classical foundations of Joseph Haydn and Franz Schubert.
The connection between the Festival (and this year’s theme) and the local territory is central. Historic residences such as the Castle of Grinzane Cavour, the Palace of Venaria, and the Castle of Guarene, together with the evocative medieval Romanesque church of San Secondo, become spaces for listening and memory—places where architectural and historical roots dialogue with musical ones.
“Roots” also signifies the transmission of knowledge. The workshop from previous editions, the Quartet and Chamber Music Forum, returns in a renewed form: no longer just lessons, but a true artistic collaboration. Selected young musicians will work side-by-side with the established guest artists of the Festival, sharing rehearsals and the stage. This educational moment will thus transform into a living performance experience. The young participants will continue to attend without any registration fees, because supporting talent means strengthening the very roots of music.
Alongside the cultural dimension, the Festival takes on environmental responsibility. The 2026 edition reinforces its commitment to decarbonization thanks to the support of Alba Mobility, which provides electric vehicles for the artists’ transport. The communication strategy is also oriented toward sustainability: a drastic reduction in printed materials, the predominant use of digital tools, and the optimization of energy consumption. Roots, indeed, also belong to the earth we inhabit: preserving them means taking care of the future.
In an age that prioritizes speed and sometimes superficiality, the Festival chooses depth: returning to roots to rediscover meaning, continuity, and vision. Because in music, as in life, roots do not hold us back; they support, nourish, and allow us to grow.
