Wunderkammer Festival 2026: the return of early music to Trieste

The rediscovery of early music in the heart of Trieste

From October 16 to 20, 2026, the city of Trieste becomes the center of a refined journey of philological research with the annual edition of the Wunderkammer Festival. Under the artistic direction of Paola Erdas, the festival aims to explore the musical heritage of the past through a contemporary lens. The theme chosen for this edition, Chimera, serves as a metaphor for the complexity and audacity of a project that intends to bring to light sounds often forgotten, making them accessible to a diverse audience.

Historical spaces and sound paths

The festival is held in various iconic locations throughout the urban fabric of Trieste. The choice of locations is not merely functional but actively engages with the architectural history of the city. Among these, the Teatro Miela and the historic Torre del Lloyd represent exceptional settings, capable of restoring the acoustic depth of the performances. The Torre del Lloyd, in particular, emerges as a landmark for the integration between historical structures and new European cultural initiatives.

A program between heritage and avant-garde

The opening of the event, scheduled for October 16 at the Teatro Miela, is entrusted to the ensemble laReverdie. On the occasion of their fortieth anniversary, the group will perform a selection of pieces that retrace their long career in the field of medieval and Renaissance music, offering a testament to their rigorous interpretive work. The program continues with the promotion of young talent through the S-Eeemerging+ project, which will see new European ensembles engage with the repertoire at the Torre del Lloyd.

The festival concludes with a celebration of historical significance. The grand finale at the Teatro Miela will be dedicated to the figure of Christina of Sweden, on the occasion of the four-hundredth anniversary of her birth. Through a narrative that intertwines biography and musical score, the concert intends to restore the intellectual complexity of the sovereign, an emblematic figure of the European 17th century. The integration between academic study and live performance confirms the Wunderkammer Festival as a fundamental point of reference for the study of historical music on an international level.