The Innsbruck Festival of Early Music is an experience you will miss if you have not been there. It is an internationally renowned festival for original sound and a venue for masters of their craft and the most exciting up-and-coming talents on the scene. Since its foundation in 1976, Innsbruck has been the starting point for many artists' careers and one of the most important addresses in the field of Early Music worldwide. In 2026, the Innsbruck Festival will celebrate its 50th anniversary. In 2023, Eva-Maria Sens took over as Artistic Director together with Ottavio Dantone, who will serve as Music Director for five years. During this time, his Accademia Bizantina, one of the world's most renowned orchestras for historical performance practice, will accompany the festival as orchestra in residence. The 2025 Innsbruck Festival will take place from 25 July to 31 August under the guiding question ‘Who pulls the strings?’.
Concerts in a wide variety of venues, operas combining Baroque aesthetics with modern interpretation, the Cesti Singing Competition, workshops for children and free outdoor events: the festival is as diverse as Early Music itself.
What did music sound like many centuries ago? What instruments and materials were used? What emotions did composers want to evoke in their audiences?
The festival is dedicated to answering these questions and creating an authentic musical experience. Just as it was back then, yet still relevant today.
That's why every year there are rediscoveries: pieces, operas and instruments that haven't been performed on stage for centuries.
