Cultural highlights 2025: Gmunden Festwochen combine music and literature

Cultural highlights 2025: Gmunden Festwochen combine music and literature

The Gmundner Festwochen head for their 39th season and present an exciting program that extends over the first half of 2025. The artistic direction, represented by Christian Hieke, Karin Bergmann and Johanna Mitterbauer, made the highlights of the upcoming program in the Gmundner Café Grellinger, which offers both literary and musical peculiarities.

With over 40,000 visitors and more than 80 events in the past year, the organization looks optimistic about the future. The goal remains to offer a varied entertainment program that stimulates visitors and at the same time focuses on critical topics.

musical diversity and artistic highlights

A truly impressive start will take place on January 15th when the Philharmonix - The Vienna Berlin Music Club appear in the Alfa Steyrermühl. That evening, the sounds of classical, jazz and pop merge into a unique listening experience, performed by members of renowned Philharmonia.

For fans of classical music there is a very special performance in the Bad Ischl: Christoph Sietzen drinking hall on February 1st and the Wave Quartet will offer a musical journey from Bach to Piazzolla with Stargast Erica Eloff. On February 6th, Nikolaus Habjan brings the moving life story of a Nazi victim to the stage, dedicated to the piece "F. Zawrel".

The humorous evening "The Comfort of Art" with Maria Happel and Michael Niavarani on February 22nd mixed up high culture with amusing elements. The audience can also look forward to the creative interpretation of Vivaldi's "Four Seasons" in the unique style of the Janoska Ensemble on March 20 at the Stadttheater Gmunden.

tradition meets contemporary sounds

We experience another highlight of the festival weeks on April 4, when the boys' choir of the St. Florian singing boy celebrates almost 1,000 years of musical tradition in the parish church of Gmunden. Works by Palestrina, Rutter and Strauss will sound here. Two days later, the performance of Bach's “Johannes Passion” takes place in the parish church of St. Nikolaus, performed by L’Orfeo Baroque Orchestra and the Collegium Vocale Salzburg.

On May 18, the talented jazz pianist David Helbock will meet the impressive jazz singer Fola Dada with his trio random/control in the Bad Ischl drinking hall. This performance is impressed with improvisation and dynamic stage presence. A literary highlight will take place on May 25th when Christoph Ransmayr in the city theater Gmunden from his new prose collection reads "No matter where, baby", supported by Wolfgang Muthspiel on the guitar.

Another musical experience will take place on October 19 by Herbert Pixner. In the Gmunden sports hall, he will present a "Best of" program that awakens great anticipation. In addition, the international pop phenomenon Boney M will appear at the open-air concert of the festival weeks on August 2 on Lake Traunsee.

The Gmundner Festwochen promise both musical and literary experiences that will cause a stir this year. For further details about this exciting event, see the current report on www.tips.at .