Aurer Orgelsommer

A summer of organ music in the heart of South Tyrol

The Aurer Orgelsommer is a concert series that transforms the small town of Ora/Auer, in the autonomous province of Bolzano (South Tyrol), into a landmark for early music enthusiasts every summer. Organized by the Orgelmusik Auer association, the festival is entirely dedicated to Renaissance and early Baroque music, performed on an instrument as rare as it is precious.

The historic 1599 Schwarzenbach organ

The absolute centerpiece of the festival is the Schwarzenbach organ, kept in the Church of San Pietro (Peterskirche) in Ora: it is the oldest playable organ in South Tyrol. The instrument was built in 1599 by the Füssen organ builder Hans Schwarzenbach, originally for the parish church of San Paolo/Appiano; around 1690, it was moved to the Church of San Pietro in Ora, where it remains today. In the 1980s, it was restored to its original layout by the Johann Pirchner organ workshop in Steinach am Brenner. A fascinating feature is its meantone temperament, with A4 tuned to 415 Hz, about a semitone lower than modern pitch: a sound that transports the listener directly into the sonic atmosphere of the 16th century.

The Church of San Pietro

The Peterskirche itself is a jewel: a 15th-century Gothic church with a 12th-century Romanesque bell tower and a large fresco of Saint Christopher on the outer facade. Repeated flooding of the Adige River lowered the ground level relative to the surrounding area, leading to the construction of a new parish church in 1674; however, the Church of San Pietro remained in use and today provides the ideal setting for organ concerts.

Evening concerts and Orgelwanderung

The Aurer Orgelsommer program runs throughout August and September with a series of evening concerts in the Church of San Pietro, featuring renowned organists from Germany and abroad, often in dialogue with solo voices and period instruments like the viola da gamba or violin. A special highlight is the Orgelwanderung, a musical walk through the places of worship in Ora — from the Peterskirche to the Marienkirche and finally to Schloss Auer — with short concerts at each stop. The festival, reaching its twelfth edition in 2026, is conceived and curated by the Orgelmusik Auer association, chaired by Tobias Simonini.

Why it's worth the trip

In a bilingual region like South Tyrol, the Aurer Orgelsommer offers a rare experience: listening to Renaissance and Baroque music on the original instrument for which it was conceived, inside a church over five centuries old. An event designed for those who love early music, historical heritage, and the intimate atmosphere of South Tyrolean villages.