Sacred Music Festival — Concert in Riva del Garda
The major symphonic-choral highlight of the Trentino-Alto Adige Regional Sacred Music Festival
About Sacred Music in Riva del Garda
The Sacred Music Festival in Riva del Garda
The Regional Sacred Music Festival of Trentino-Alto Adige stops annually in Riva del Garda, in the Province of Trento, with one of its most anticipated events: a grand symphonic-choral concert hosted in the Church of San Giuseppe. The venue, spacious and boasting excellent acoustics, is ideal for the festival's largest ensembles, featuring orchestras, combined choirs, and vocal soloists.
A Historic Festival
Founded in 1972 with an inaugural concert at the Collegiate Church of Arco, the festival is the oldest concert association in Italy entirely dedicated to sacred music. Today, it is organized by the Regional Sacred Music ETS Festival, a regional body that brings together representatives from the provinces and municipalities of Trento and Bolzano. Each year, the festival presents over thirty concerts in churches, parishes, and cathedrals throughout Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol, from April to June.
The Riva del Garda Stop
The concert in Riva del Garda is traditionally the most impressive moment of the season, showcasing grand scores for choir and orchestra. These performances are often part of the «The Other Side of the Sacred» project, which focuses on sacred music composed by great Italian opera masters. Recent editions have featured works by Mozart and Donizetti, with the participation of orchestras like I Filarmonici di Trento or the Camerata Musicale Città di Arco, and combined choirs exceeding eighty members.
A Stunning Setting
Riva del Garda, at the northern tip of Lake Garda, blends the charm of a lakeside landscape with a historic center rich in churches and palaces. Attending a sacred music concert in the Church of San Giuseppe offers an intimate and intense listening experience in one of the most beloved tourist destinations in the Garda Trentino area. The concert is organized in collaboration with Amici della Musica Riva and the Garda Trentino Tourist Board.
Why Attend
- Live sacred symphonic-choral repertoire in a historic church
- High-caliber orchestras, combined choirs, and vocal soloists
- A prestigious stop in one of Italy's longest-running regional festivals
- Free admission, set in the scenic Trentino Upper Garda
The Riva del Garda stop of the festival combines the experience of great sacred music with the discovery of Riva del Garda and the Trentino-Alto Adige region, between lake and mountains.
Sacred Music in Riva del Garda — edition 2026
The concert on June 20, 2026
The 55th edition of the Regional Sacred Music Festival of Trentino-Alto Adige stops in Riva del Garda on Saturday, June 20, 2026, at 8:00 PM, in the Church of San Giuseppe.
The program features the Requiem in D minor by Gaetano Donizetti (1797-1848), composed in 1835 in memory of Vincenzo Bellini: a work that blends liturgical solemnity with the dramatic and melodic language of early Romanticism. The concert is part of the «The Other Side of the Sacred» project, dedicated to sacred music composed by great Italian opera masters.
On stage, I Filarmonici di Trento, an ensemble founded in 1999, will perform alongside three choral groups: the Coro in Dulci Jubilo (conducted by Tarcisio Battisti), the Coro Città di Piazzola sul Brenta (conducted by Paolo Piana), and the MaxChor München (conducted by Gerard Häußler). Solo parts are entrusted to Barbara Balduzzi (soprano), Ylenia Cappelletti (mezzo-soprano), Paolo Delai (tenor), Lorenzo Ziller (baritone), Alessandro Coser and Stefano De Nardin (basses). The overall direction is by Alessandro Arnoldo. The total ensemble counts approximately 80 choristers and 54 instrumentalists. Free admission, in collaboration with Amici della Musica Riva and APT Garda.
Programme Sacred Music in Riva del Garda 2026
Saturday, June 20, 2026 — 8:00 PM, Church of San Giuseppe
Gaetano Donizetti — Requiem in D minor
- Introduction, Requiem aeternam and Kyrie
- Gradual (In memoria aeterna)
- Sequence (Dies irae)
- Offertory (Domine Jesu Christe)
- Lux aeterna
- Libera me
Orchestra: I Filarmonici di Trento
Combined Choirs: Coro in Dulci Jubilo (cond. Tarcisio Battisti), Coro Città di Piazzola sul Brenta (cond. Paolo Piana), MaxChor München (cond. Gerard Häußler)
Soloists: Barbara Balduzzi (soprano), Ylenia Cappelletti (mezzo-soprano), Paolo Delai (tenor), Lorenzo Ziller (baritone), Alessandro Coser and Stefano De Nardin (basses)
Conductor: Alessandro Arnoldo
Ensemble: approx. 80 choristers and 54 instrumentalists
Highlights Sacred Music in Riva del Garda 2026
Prices Sacred Music in Riva del Garda 2026
Practical information — Sacred Music in Riva del Garda
Location
Church of San Giuseppe, Via San Giuseppe, 38066 Riva del Garda (TN), in the Trentino Upper Garda.
How to get there
By car via the A22 Brenner motorway, take the Rovereto Sud/Lago di Garda Nord exit, then follow the SS240 to Riva del Garda; approximately 45 minutes from Trento. The town is also served by public buses and, during the warmer months, by Lake Garda ferry services.
Admission
Free admission subject to availability. For the full calendar of events and updated times, please visit the Regional Sacred Music Festival website.
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Where does it take place — Sacred Music in Riva del Garda
Chiesa di San Giuseppe
Via San Giuseppe, 38066 Riva del Garda