Storie di Contrade - Mountain Choral Music Festival

An evening of choral singing in Val Vigezzo

Storie di Contrade is a mountain choral music festival held in Druogno, a village in the Val Vigezzo valley in the province of Verbano-Cusio-Ossola, in the heart of the Piedmontese Alps. Organized by the Corale Parrocchiale San Silvestro, the event turns the local parish church into a natural sounding board for the visiting choirs, creating an evening that weaves together music, memory, and the identity of the Ossola region.

Mountain singing as heritage

The festival's repertoire is deeply rooted in the great tradition of alpine folk singing: songs that tell the stories of the local districts, daily work, the Alpini soldiers, and the hardships and celebrations of mountain communities. Each edition features a dialogue between the local choir and a guest ensemble, highlighting the polyphonic richness of a cappella singing and the ability of these groups to preserve and pass on a precious intangible heritage.

The 2026 edition with the Vôs de Mont choir

The sixth edition took place on Saturday, April 25, 2026, at 8:45 PM in the San Silvestro Parish Church in Druogno. The evening featured the Corale Parrocchiale di Druogno, conducted by maestro Federico Scheber, alongside the guest choir Vôs de Mont from Tricesimo, conducted by maestro Marco Maiero. Comprising forty-seven male voices from Friuli, Veneto, and the Marche, Vôs de Mont is renowned for performing exclusively the original compositions of its director, a true benchmark in Italian choral music. The day began at 5:00 PM with the reception of the choirs in the square, followed by a convivial aperitif at 6:30 PM by reservation.

A community event

Storie di Contrade is much more than a concert: it is a meeting point for the entire Druogno community, organized in collaboration with the local Alpini Group. The reception of the choirs, the shared dinner, and the evening concert make for a day that celebrates mountain hospitality and the bonds between the village districts and guests arriving from afar.

Druogno and Val Vigezzo

Known as the Valley of Painters, Val Vigezzo is one of the gems of the Piedmont border region, nestled between the Ossola valley and Switzerland. Druogno, with its scattered hamlets and alpine panoramas, provides the ideal setting for a festival that makes the connection between music and the territory its distinctive hallmark. Attending Storie di Contrade means discovering an authentic corner of the Piedmontese mountains through the voices of its choirs.