‘Barockes Juwel’ St. Johann in Tirol

In the middle of the celebrations for Easter, a Baroque music festival is set to take place in St. Johann in 2025, for the first time – a highlight for music lovers and those of you who are interested in culture. Between 13th and 26th April, St. Johann will become the venue for an impressive programme, where the focus is on the beauty and variety of Baroque music. The festival provides a unique opportunity to experience the works of great composers including Johann Sebastian Bach, Heinrich Ignaz Franz Biber, Georg Friedrich Händel and Antonio Vivaldi, in a variety of locations in St. Johann. Renowned artists and ensembles will awaken the venerable sounds of this era, taking their audience with them on a musical journey into the 17th and 18th century. The concerts will be held in the Deanery parish church, in the former hospital church of St. Nicholas near Weitau and in the parish hall. These concert venues will provide a perfect ambience, in terms of acoustics and architecture.

The power of Baroque music unfolds especially at Easter time, a time of hope and renewal. The profound, at times spiritual compositions, invite the listener to engage with the central themes of this season. The Kitzbühel Alps St. Johann in Tirol tourist association is the organiser of the festival, with artistic direction provided by Reinhold Wieser.

The festival will open on 13th April with the programme ‘L’arte della trombetta’ performed by ‘Schwanthaler Trumpet Consort’. Continuing on 16th April with ‘Bach – Brass & more’ in the former hospital church of St. Nicholas near Weitau – presented by Ensemble Paris Lodron from Salzburg and soprano Waltraud Nagl. The ‘Rosary Sonatas’ by Heinrich Biber are another highlight. These will be presented on 21st April by Annegret Siedel (solo violinist) and Hans-Josef Knaust (harpsichord). Before the performance there will be an introduction to the piece from Univ.Ass.in Mag.a. Dr. Bernadeta Czapraga from Mozarteum University Salzburg. Following this, on 23rd April, there will be the open-air ‘Music for the Royal Fireworks’ by Georg Friedrich Händel, interpreted by St. Johann music group. The Deanery parish church will be resplendent with blazing images created by video artista Wolfgang Hofer, a salve d'honneur from St. Johann’s Feller rifle company will also enhance the event experience. There will be an insight into Vivaldi’s ‘The Four Seasons’ with a spiritual impulse by Dean Mag. Erwin Neumayer on 25th April, before the crowning finale takes place on 26th April with ‘Virtuoso recorders in the Baroque period’. Performed by 8 students from the Mozarteum, and class assistant Prof. Dorothee Oberlinger. Families are cordially invited to the parish hall too. There will also be a Baroque guided tour of the town that day with Mag. Peter Fischer.

Along with culture and traditions, sporty and active leisure opportunities have been gathered together in the ‘Activities’ category – from a spring hike when you get to discover the first of spring's little flowers, to the evening snow-shoe hike ‘Find your Flow’. The OD Trails will be starting up again during Easter week in St. Johann, providing cyclists with an opportunity to experience their first trail rides again after the winter.