Giardini La Mortella

Fondazione William Walton e La Mortella
William Walton Trust

CONCERT SEASON PRESENTATION
Musical Encounters - Spring-Summer 2026
(chamber music concerts)

The William Walton Foundation's musical series, featuring chamber music concerts under the artistic direction of Lina Tufano, will begin on April 4-5, Easter weekend. This year, the concerts will have a special focus, thanks to the special anniversary being celebrated by the Walton Foundation: Lady Walton's Centenary.

2026 marks the 100th anniversary of the birth of Lady Susana Walton, the founder and creative force behind the La Mortella Gardens, which she created to offer her husband, the English composer William Walton, a place to retreat and find inspiration for his music. After her husband's passing, Lady Walton transformed the gardens into a vibrant cultural center dedicated to music, where generations of young musicians from around the world have found support, a welcome, and a space to spread their wings and launch their concert careers. This activity is continued today by the William Walton Foundation and La Mortella, which continues to organize concerts and masterclasses, supporting young musicians in accordance with Lady Walton's mission.

To mark its centenary, the William Walton Foundation has promoted a commemorative project with a series of events, in Italy and England, dedicated to the memory of its founder, who left her mark on both the worlds of nature and music. Musical activities play a key role in this project.

The Foundation invited the young musicians participating in the 2026 concert season at La Mortella to dedicate a piece to her memory, and all the performers enthusiastically responded.

Now an unmissable cultural event for guests on the island of Ischia, the Musical Encounters will feature young and very young musicians from the most prestigious Italian and international schools (the Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia, the Accademia Stauffer of Cremona, the Scuola di Musica di Fiesole, the Keyboard Charitable Trust of London, the Windsor International String Competition, and many other institutions) with which the Foundation has established relationships for many years. These are undoubtedly the most exciting new talents in the global concert scene, young talents who have won some of the most important national and international competitions, and classical music enthusiasts will be able to listen to them immersed in one of the most beautiful natural settings in the world.

The new 2026 season will feature a diverse array of Italian, European, and Asian performers, all already on the path to extraordinary careers, performing in the Recital Hall at the Giardini La Mortella. They will perform solo recitals for piano and two pianos, as well as string and wind ensembles, spanning four centuries of great music, from Bach to the present day.

This year's inauguration will be entrusted to a piano duo, Giulia Loperfido and Francesco Navelli, who have already performed at the Walton Foundation concerts on several occasions. They will pay homage to William and Susana Walton with a series of pieces by the great English musician transcribed from "Facade," the first composition to bring the young Walton international fame. This will be the occasion to officially inaugurate this year dedicated to Lady Walton, 100 years after her birth.

Not to be missed for all piano enthusiasts are the solo piano concerts, featuring performances by extraordinary talents, such as Herman Med Cerisha, an Italian pianist studying at the Royal Academy of Music in London; Gabriel Meloni, an Austrian, studying at the Accademia di Santa Cecilia in Rome, undoubtedly the most important advanced piano school in Italy; Nikita Burzanitsa, a Ukrainian, a student at the Royal College of Music and supported by the Keyboard Charitable Trust; and finally, Youl Sun, a Korean, one of the most extraordinary piano talents of recent years, winner of an incredible series of international competitions (Gina Bachauer, Maria Canals, Seoul International Competition, etc.). Youl Sun will also perform in a trio with violinist Soobeen Lee and cellist Taeguk Mun, both Korean, in a weekend of concerts in April featuring a program of great artistic depth.

The Dallagnese twin sisters, who have already received much acclaim in the Mortella Recital Hall on several occasions, will also be performing their two-piano concerts. These concerts feature repertoire of the highest musical value, but are rarely heard due to the difficulty of obtaining two pianos of equal quality, such as the Steinways in the Mortella Concert Hall, splendid instruments owned by the William Walton Foundation.

The Stauffer Foundation of Cremona, a leading Italian school of advanced string education that sends its students, all already established concert performers, to perform at the Mortella, will be represented this spring by the New Era Quartet, a young string quartet that has won numerous international competitions.
Violin and piano duos will also be well represented: Belgian violinist Sarah Bayens and French pianist Dimitri Malignan, both highly talented young concert performers, will offer an interesting and rarely heard program; Violinist Francesca Bonaita, a past guest at La Mortella concerts, winner of first prizes and well on her way to a brilliant international career, will offer a challenging program alongside Ukrainian pianist Mariia Matsiievska. Violinist Lucilla Rose Mariotti, a highly acclaimed performer at La Mortella concerts in recent years, will perform with pianist Alessio Enea in original and varied programs.

We will also be able to applaud the unusual Trio Cicala, made up of oboist Max Vogler, bassoonist Enrico Bassi, and pianist Fabio Fornaciari, young musicians but already established concert performers.

The final event of the Walton Foundation's spring-summer season will be June 27-28, with a performance by the duo of cellist Rebecca Rotondi and pianist Viviana Di Rita, students of the Fiesole School of Music.

Concurrent with the Chamber Music season, from the end of June through the month of July, the summer season of youth orchestras will be held at the Greek Theatre, featuring symphonic concerts with a variety of programs.

The concerts on Saturday, April 4th and Sunday, April 5th will be held at 5:00 PM in the Recital Hall.

Download the current season poster in PDF format:
Incontri Musicali (Chamber music concerts) - Spring Season 2026

Consulta il calendario sul nostro sito web:
https://www.lamortella.org/en/music/program-incontri-musicali

Fondazione William Walton e La Mortella
Via Francesco Calise 45, 80075, Forio (NA)
tel.: +39 081-986220, +39 081-986237