| The Sion Festival 2026 opens this Friday 21 August sweeping audiences into a whirlwind of music. After a kaleidoscopic opening concert at Sion Cathedral, musicians will take to the streets in an eclectic programme, taking over the town for 24 hours with 15 free concerts and an evening of a tango. In a single day, NODA BCVS will host the last two events of the opening weekend: a symphony concert and a vibrant musical show. Until 6 September, the same spirit of openness and innovation runs through the nine remaining concerts of this 62nd edition, curated by Pavel Vernikov and Janine Jansen, who nevertheless reserve a special place for great chamber music. 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 version of Bach’s concerto for two violins. Musical meditations evoking distant worlds will then fill Cathedral: those of Ex Contrario for two violins and chamber orchestra by the Georgian composer Giya Kancheli. A glimmer of hope will shine... Immediately afterwards, Musique en fête and its 100-plus artists will take the audience on a 24-hour musical journey through Sion town. In collaboration with several cultural partners, a wide variety of soundscapes will come to life in iconic and lesser-known venues. To round off this musical journey, tango and classical music will merge with the Guttman Tango Ensemble on Saturday 22 August at the Pôle Musique. 2 contrasting concerts in one day at NODA BCVS 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 a high-energy programme that will transport the audience into the worlds of pop, jazz and musical theatre. Aptly titled Wow, it bears the signature of the Valais-based musician Till Lingenberg. The final concert will showcase the richness of the repertoire from the first half of the 20th century. The Camerata Chișinău and Valentin Uryupin will accompany Simon Trpčeski in one of the most demanding piano works, Rachmaninov’s Piano Concerto No. 3. Valentin Uryupin will then take up the clarinet to perform an original arrangement of Prokofiev’s Flute Sonata. And later... During the second week, starting on 27 August, theatre will take centre stage, with French actress Julie Depardieu as a special guest. Musical toys will also be making an appearance at the festival with a family-friendly, interactive concert. The third week, starting on 3 September, will focus on chamber music, closing with the lunch of the ‘Church Trail' conceived by Janine Jansen. | 
