Elba Music Festival – Concert in Rio nell'Elba
The prestigious international classical and jazz music festival of Elba Island stops in Rio nell'Elba, at the evocative Church of Santi Giacomo e Quirico.
About Elba Music Festival in Rio nell'Elba
The festival that makes Elba Island sing
The Elba Music Festival is one of the most important classical and jazz music events in all of Tuscany. Born in 1997 from the meeting between artistic director George Edelman and Russian violist Yuri Bashmet, the festival transforms the Island of Elba every summer into a vast, open-air stage, where dozens of world-class soloists and chamber ensembles perform in venues that blend scenic beauty with exceptional acoustics. The festival spans all the municipalities of Elba—Portoferraio, Capoliveri, Marciana, Marciana Marina, Campo nell'Elba, Porto Azzurro, and Rio—with the Teatro dei Vigilanti in Portoferraio serving as the main hub.
The Rio nell'Elba stop
In the Municipality of Rio (province of Livorno), on the island's ancient eastern mining slopes, the festival selects the Church of Santi Giacomo e Quirico in Rio nell'Elba as its setting—the parish church that overlooks the village perched on the iron-rich hills. It is an intimate space with intense acoustics, ideal for chamber music: here, the audience listens just a few meters from the performers, in a domestic atmosphere that restores the most authentic dimension to great music. The evening in Rio nell'Elba is part of the festival's overall program, which traverses the entire island with a different theme each year.
World-renowned artists
The overall program brings together over seventy musicians from more than twenty different nations every year. Recurring guests include names such as Martha Argerich, Gidon Kremer, and Mario Brunello, joined by emerging young talents and the Elba Festival Orchestra. The Rio nell'Elba stop is dedicated to chamber music in its purest form, with trios and ensembles presenting repertoire highlights in exquisite transcriptions designed to enhance the intimacy of the space.
A unique experience on the Island of Elba
- A chamber concert in the Church of Santi Giacomo e Quirico, in the heart of the village of Rio nell'Elba
- Internationally acclaimed soloists in an intimate and cozy setting
- Discovery of the mining side of eastern Elba, far from the most touristy routes
- An evening of great music just a stone's throw from the sea
The festival is organized by the Opus 110 Association with the support of the Ministry of Culture, the Tuscany Region, and the municipalities of Elba, and has been a reference point for music lovers vacationing on Elba for nearly thirty years.
Elba Music Festival in Rio nell'Elba — edition 2026
30th edition — the Rio nell'Elba concert
The 2026 edition celebrates thirty years of the Elba Music Festival with a program spread across the entire Island of Elba from August 28 to September 13, featuring over seventy musicians from twenty-four nations and a journey ranging from Baroque to jazz. The stop in Rio nell'Elba (Municipality of Rio, province of Livorno) brings one of the pinnacles of the string repertoire to the Church of Santi Giacomo e Quirico.
Saturday, September 5 — 6:30 PM, Church of Santi Giacomo e Quirico
Three internationally acclaimed performers — Roman Simović (violin, concertmaster of the London Symphony Orchestra), Milena Simović (viola), and Giovanni Gnocchi (cello) — tackle Johann Sebastian Bach's Goldberg Variations (BWV 988) in the famous string trio transcription by Dmitry Sitkovetsky. A masterpiece originally written for harpsichord that, when reinterpreted by three strings, reveals a surprising cantabile quality and a new polyphonic transparency.
Programme Elba Music Festival in Rio nell'Elba 2026
Saturday, September 5 — 6:30 PM · Church of Santi Giacomo e Quirico (Rio nell'Elba)
String trio
- Roman Simović — violin
- Milena Simović — viola
- Giovanni Gnocchi — cello
Program:
- Johann Sebastian Bach — Goldberg Variations BWV 988 (transcription for string trio by Dmitry Sitkovetsky)
The concert is part of the overall program of the 30th edition (August 28 – September 13, 2026), held across all the municipalities of Elba with artists such as Martha Argerich, Gidon Kremer, and Mario Brunello. Full program at www.elba-music.it.
Highlights Elba Music Festival in Rio nell'Elba 2026
Prices Elba Music Festival in Rio nell'Elba 2026
Practical information — Elba Music Festival in Rio nell'Elba
How to get there
Rio nell'Elba is located on the eastern side of the Island of Elba, in the Municipality of Rio (province of Livorno). You can reach Elba by ferry from Piombino to Portoferraio (about an hour's crossing); from Portoferraio, continue by car towards Rio nell'Elba (about 20 km, along the eastern Elba provincial road). The Church of Santi Giacomo e Quirico is located in the historic center of the village: on concert days, it is advisable to park on the outskirts of the town and walk to the parish church.
Tickets
Information and tickets are available at the main festival box office on Via Vittorio Emanuele II, 1 in Portoferraio (tel. +39 353 4121974, open from August 18, 9:30 AM – 12:30 PM). General info: tel. +39 392 3815400, [email protected]. Full program and details on individual concerts at www.elba-music.it.
Tip
Arrive early: the church space is small and seating is limited. Take advantage of the day to visit the mining village of Rio nell'Elba and the nearby island Mining Park.
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Where does it take place — Elba Music Festival in Rio nell'Elba
Chiesa dei Santi Giacomo e Quirico