Tickets are now on sale for the 70th edition of La Biennale di Venezia’s International Festival of Contemporary Music.
The 70th edition of Biennale Musica will take place in Venice from 10 to 24 October under the theme A Child of Sound.
The 2026 edition is the second helmed by artistic director Caterina Barbieri, the Berlin-based composer and electronic musician. This year’s programme continues her approach of combining historical and contemporary music while placing greater emphasis on experimental practices and non-Western musical traditions.
Among the featured performances, the Parco della Musica Contemporanea Ensemble brings together Musica per una fine by Ennio Morricone with Johann Sebastian Bach and Sarah Davachi.
Alif Hilal, formerly known as Lyra Pramuk, will collaborate with Iranian percussionist Mohammad Reza Mortazavi and Egyptian multi-instrumentalist Islam El-Ghazouly on the new project In the Threshold of Your Love.
The Tallis Scholars will perform under the vaults of Saint Mark’s Basilica, with a programme spanning music from Hildegard von Bingen and Gregorio Allegri to Arvo Pärt and Kara-Lis Coverdale, while composer Clarissa Connelly will present Canons – a work that combines Nordic folk traditions, medieval music and digital sound elements.
Other highlights include Walter Zanetti’s Cantos Yoruba de Cuba, works by Cuban composer Leo Brouwer, a guitar-focused event by Belgian ensemble Zwerm featuring new commissions from ML Buch and Gigi Masin, a performance from Moroccan musician Asmaâ Hamzaoui with her group Bnat Timbouktou, and a performance from Japanese experimental musician Keiji Haino.
Artists including DJ Travella, Jay Mitta and Pili Pili will represent Tanzania’s Singeli scene. Lisbon label Príncipe will showcase artists including Nídia, DJ Firmeza and Helviofox.
The wider line-up includes Polygonia, DJ Nobu, Carrier, Loidis, Livwutang, Mechatok, 100_ve and DJ Anderson do Paraíso, as well as the multisensory performance As Nature by Kenyan sound artist KMRU with Nick Verstand and Mareike Bode.
Many events will be staged in the Sale d’Armi at the Arsenale, where the festival’s Origine programme will host concerts, listening sessions, screenings and talks curated in part by Masaru Hatanaka of Tokyo’s Nightingale listening bar.
See the full line-up and get tickets here.