Sarah Maria Sun in Oxford & Vicenza

On 18 October 2026, the soprano Sarah Maria Sun will make her debut at the reknown Oxford International Song Festival with her trio Silence is Golden, teaming up with Jan Philip Schulze (piano) and Julian Bliss (clarinet). The programme presents Franz Schubert’s Shepherd on the Rock, George Gershwin’s The man I love, Kurt Weill’s One life to live, Miroslav Srnka’s 5 Songs from Thirteen Songs After Postcards by Jurek Becker to His Son Jonathan, Benjamin Scheuer’s Fragwürdige Fragmente and György Ligeti’s Mysteries of the Macabre among other pieces. 

On 23/25/26 October 2026, Sarah Maria Sun will make a first appearance at the Vicenza Opera Festival in the beautiful Teatro Olimpico singing Papagena in Mozart’s The Magic Flute. This production of the Budapest Festival Orchestra and the musical/stage director Iván Fischer was premiered in September at the Müpa Budapest to great acclaim. Colleagues on stage will be Samantha Gaul (Pamina), Julian Prégardien (Tamino), Franz-Josef Selig (Sarastro), Alina Wunderlin (Queen of the night), Markus Werba (Papageno), Mirella Hagen (First Lady), Olivia Vermeulen (Second Lady), Marie Seidler (Third Lady), Stuart Patterson (Monostatos) and other singers. 

(published on 12 October 2026)

Vanessa Porter: Live in Berlin

On 12 October 2026 the percussionists Vanessa Porter and Emil Kuyumcuyan will perform their record release concert at the Musikbrauerei Berlin presenting their latest duo-CD BETTER ME . The album has been released on the Label Neos recently and is already nominated for the German Record Critics’ Award 2026. Susanne Benda from magazine Fono Forum is mesmerized: You don’t interrupt this CD; it possesses power and a compelling pull—a dazzlingly sonorous spectacle of the world—fantastic! BETTER ME exclusively presents compositions by both artists that move between contemporary music, electronic sound art, and performative energy. 

On 14/15/16 October 2026, Vanessa Porter will make a first appearance with The Alonetimes – Music-Theatre by Jennifer Walshe and Philip Venables at the Deutsche Oper Berlin. This celebrated production was just presented at Musica Strasbourg, the BOZAR Brussels and the Muziekgebouw Amsterdam to great acclaim and will celebrate its UK-premiere on 19 October 2026 at the Schwarzman Centre Oxford. Vanessa is joined by Aedín Cosgrove (costume and light), Romain Muller (sound), Ragnar Árni Ólafsson (video), Loré Lixenberg und Oskar McCarthy (vocals), Adam Starkie (bass clarinet), Diamanda La Berge Dramm (violin) and Andreas Borregaard (accordion).

(published on 6 October 2026)

A. Komsi: Orchestre de la Suisse Romande

On 8 October 2026, the soprano Anu Komsi will make her debut with the Orchestre de la Suisse Romande at the Victoria Hall in Geneva. Under the baton of Eva Ollikainen she will sing the outstanding composition Mirage for soprano, cello and orchestra by Kaija Saariaho with the cellist Lionel Cottet as well as Jean Sibelius‘ Luonnotar – tone poem for soprano and orchestra op. 70. Further works on the programme will be Sibelius’ Pohjola’s Daugther – Tone poem für large orchestra op. 49 and Pjotr Ilyitch Tchaikovsky‘s Symphony No. 6 in B minor, Op. 74, Pathétique. The second concert will be scheduled on 10 October 2026 at La Grange au Lac, Évian-les-bains in Neuvecelle.

(published on 29 September 2026)

THE PRESENT: Artist-in-Residence

Between 2 and 11 October 2026, the Vocal ensemble THE PRESENT will be Artist-in-Residence 2026 at the Heinrich-Schütz-Musikfest, presenting four different and new programmes in six concerts, focusing on Heinrich Schütz and the motto Early Music reimagined:

ERHÖRE UNS, WENN WIR ANRUFEN 
2 October 2026, Zentralwerk Pieschen Dresden
4 October 2026, Festsaal Schloss Moritzburg, Zeitz
Heinrich Schütz Italian Madrigals SWV 1–19, works by Laura Steenberge (world premiere)

Schützling - Ein geselliger Abend in der Klangwelt des jungen Heinrich
7 October 2026, Schwarzbier Brauerei Bad Köstritz
9 October 2026, Altes Brauhaus Weissenfels
Music by Hans Leo Hassler, Orlando di Lasso, Vittoria Rafaella Aleotti, Clément Janequin and Giovanni da Palestrina

MAN LOBT DICH IN DER STILL'
8 October 2026, SLUB Dresden
Works by Heinrich Schütz, Laura Steenberge, Moritz Gagern and others as holistic experience

IL VASTO MAR
11 October 2026, Kirche Sankt Leonhard Bad Köstritz
Works by Heinrich Schütz and Moritz Gagern (world premiere)

Performing artists will be: Hanna Herfurtner/Olivia Stahn (sopranos), Bernadette Beckermann/Amélie Saadia (altos), Johannes Gaubitz/Tim Karweick (tenors), Nikolaus Fluck/Felix Schwandtke (basses) supported by Lisa Fütterer (set and costume design), Leonard Albach (light design), Eli Vardzhiyska and Sarah Rose Lucey (production and direction assistance).

(published on 25 September 2026)