The Salzburg FEstival
20-30 August 2026
ROBERT GAY
Experience exceptional performances in the beautiful baroque city of Salzburg, as it becomes a stage to showcase a world-class program of opera and concert performances
OVERVIEW
The Salzburg Festival is one of the world’s leading performing arts festivals, offering a broad variety of operas and concerts from classical interpretations of Mozart to cutting-edge contemporary pieces. In recent decades, the Festival has also become a stage for world premieres of new productions by the finest ensembles and star casts, making it a magnet for lovers of opera.
Limelight Arts Travel’s tour to the Festival will include 9 performances spread over 11 days, carefully selected to bring you the very best of the Festival. The performance program is complemented by pre-performance talks by music history educator Robert Gay, and a delightful program of cultural touring in the spectacularly beautiful Austrian Alps with their refreshingly cooler climes.
TOUR LEADER
Robert Gay has significant expertise as a music history educator and tour leader, having designed and led more than 100 tours to the great musical cities of Western and Central Europe and North America.
Known for his popular music history courses, which have been offered at the University of Sydney’s Centre for Continuing Education for more than 30 years, Robert’s musical expertise extends from the Baroque period through to the great composers of the modern era.
Robert trained as a lyric baritone in London and Munich, and he was also President of the Sydney Schubert Society for many years. He has been a guest lecturer for the Australian Decorative and Fine Arts Society (ADFAS), and is regularly invited to present talks on opera and music history to organisations such as the Wagner Society NSW.
DETAILS
DATES:
20-30 August 2026
ITINERARY:
Salzburg – 10 nights
PRICE:
$14,650pp twinshare
SINGLE SUPPLEMENT:
$2,400 for sole use of a double room
DEPOSIT:
$1,000pp at time of booking
SECOND DEPOSIT:
$2,500pp, within 10 business days of confirmation of the final program
FITNESS:
Moderate
GROUP SIZE:
Max. 20 places
WAITLIST
Call us on (02) 8599 4201 or sign up to the waitlist below, to hear if places become available
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Enjoy 9 performances at the renowned Salzburg Festival
Delight in the exciting atmosphere of elegant Salzburg at festival time
Undertake day trips to admire the spectacular scenery of the region, from Bavaria’s Königssee to the beautiful lakes of the Salzkammergut
Understand the fascinating history of the region, from Mozart’s Salzburg to the imperial family at Bad Ischl
Enhance your enjoyment of the performances, with pre-performance talks and post-performance commentary by tour leader Robert Gay
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FRIDAY 21 AUGUST
Venue: Haus für Mozart
Program: Debussy, Violin Sonata in G minor; Robert Schumann, Violin Sonata No. 2 in D minor op. 121; Beethoven, Violin Sonata No. 10 in G major op. 96
Performers: Renaud Capuçon (violin), Martha Argerich (piano)SATURDAY 22 AUGUST
Venue: Felsenreitschule
Program: Béla Bartók, Music for strings, percussion and celesta; Anton Bruckner, Symphony No. 4 in E flat major – ‘Romantic’
Performers: Philippe Jordan (conductor), Gustav Mahler JugendorchesterSUNDAY 23 AUGUST
Venue: Grosses Festspielhaus
Program: Elgar, Variations on an Original Theme op. 36 – “Enigma”; Tchaikovsky, Symphony No. 4 in F minor op. 36
Performers: Kirill Petrenko (conductor), Berlin PhilharmonicMONDAY 24 AUGUST
Venue: Haus für Mozart
Program: Strauss, Adriadne auf Naxos
Performers: Kate Lindsey (The Composer), Christina Nillson (Ariadne), Ziyi Dai (Zerbinetta), Manfred Honeck (conductor), Vienna PhilharmonicWEDNESDAY 26 AUGUST
Venue: Grosses Festspielhaus
Program: Bizet, Carmen
Performers: Asmik Grigorian (Carmen), Jonathan Tetelman (Don José), Mristina Mkhitaryan (Micaëla),Teodor Curentzis (conductor), Gabriela Carrizo (director)THURSDAY 27 AUGUST
Venue: Grosses Festspielhaus
Program: Schulhoff, Five pieces for string quartet; Rachmaninov, Rhapsody on a Theme by Paganini for piano and orchestra op. 43; Shostakovich, Symphony No. 5 in D minor op. 47
Performers: Alexandre Kantorow (piano), Manfred Honeck (conductor), Pittsburgh Symphony OrchestraFRIDAY 28 AUGUST
Venue: Grosses Festspielhaus
Program: Schubert, Piano Sonata in C minor D. 958; Chopin, Fantasy in F minor op. 49; Beethoven, Piano Sonata No. 23 in F minor op. 57 – ‘Appassionata’
Performers: Igor Levit (piano)SATURDAY 29 AUGUST
Venue: Grosses Festspielhaus
Program: Rachmaninov, Piano Concerto No. 3 in D minor op. 30; Strauss, Don Juan op. 20 and Till Eulenspiegel’s Merry Pranks op. 28
Performers: Daniil Trifonov (piano), Andris Nelsons (conductor), Vienna Philharmonic
Venue: Grosses Festspielhaus
Program: Mozart, Così fan tutte
Performers: Elsa Dreisig (Fiordiligi), Victoria Karkacheva (Dorabella), Bogdan Volkov (Ferrando), Andrè Schuen (Guglielmo), Lea Desandre (Despina), Joana Mallwitz (conductor), Vienna Philharmonic -
THURSDAY 20 AUGUST – ARRIVAL (CANAPÉS)
We gather at Salzburg airport at 2.00pm this afternoon for a transfer to the hotel. On arrival there is time to settle into our hotel before welcome drinks and canapés with your tour leader. Evening at leisure.FRIDAY 21 AUGUST – SALZBURG OLD TOWN, PERFORMANCE 1 (B, L)
Salzburg was ruled for centuries by its Prince-Archbishops, whose court shaped the old city. This morning, after a talk in the hotel by tour leader Robert Gay, we explore the history of the city on a walking tour, which includes the Festival District and the cathedral. We then enjoy a welcome lunch together, followed by an afternoon at leisure. In the evening, we attend our first performance at the Festival, a performance by 84-year-old Argentinian pianist Martha Argerich, who is one of the great musicians of our time. She opens our program in partnership with Renaud Capuçon, a stand-out in the younger generation of violinists. They play Debussy’s late masterpiece for piano and violin, and Beethoven’s tenth and last violin sonata.Performance 1 details
Venue: Haus für Mozart
Program: Debussy, Violin Sonata in G minor; Robert Schumann, Violin Sonata No. 2 in D minor op. 121; Beethoven, Violin Sonata No. 10 in G major op. 96
Performers: Renaud Capuçon (violin), Martha Argerich (piano)SATURDAY 22 AUGUST – KREMSMUNSTER, PERFORMANCE 2 (B)
This morning we travel by coach to Kremsmünster. Here we have a guided tour of the abbey, founded in the eighth century, and its extraordinary cultural treasures. Among these are its manuscripts, which include a ninth-century illuminated gospel, and the ‘Tassilo Chalice’, a gilded bronze masterpiece of Anglo-Saxon art from the eighth century. We enjoy lunch together in the abbey restaurant, before returning to Salzburg. There is time to relax before our evening performance by the GustavMahler Youth Orchestra who will play Bartók’s beautiful Music for strings, percussion and celesta, and a historically authentic, trimmed down version of Bruckner’s ‘Romantic’ Symphony conducted by Philippe Jordan.Performance 2 details
Venue: Felsenreitschule
Program: Béla Bartók, Music for strings, percussion and celesta; Anton Bruckner, Symphony No. 4 in E flat major – ‘Romantic’
Performers: Philippe Jordan (conductor), Gustav Mahler JugendorchesterSUNDAY 23 AUGUST – MOZART’S SALZBURG, PERFORMANCE 3 (B)
We begin the day with a pre-performance talk by Robert Gay. We then take a walking tour of the ‘new’ side of Salzburg, which is indelibly marked by the life of Mozart. Our tour includes the Mirabell Gardens and sites linked to the life of Mozart, including Mozart’s residence, now a house museum, and St Sebastian Cemetery, where his father and wife are buried. The afternoon is at leisure, to enjoy a visit to one of Salzburg’s art collections or simply to savour the festive ambience of the town before we attend an evening performance. Chief Conductor Kirill Petrenko inspires his superb Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra players with a pair of unusual works from a German perspective – Elgar’s fascinating ‘Enigma’ Variations, and Tchaikovsky’s ‘fateful’ Fourth SymphonyPerformance 3 details
Venue: Grosses Festspielhaus
Program: Elgar, Variations on an Original Theme op. 36 – “Enigma”; Tchaikovsky, Symphony No. 4 in F minor op. 36
Performers: Kirill Petrenko (conductor), Berlin PhilharmonicMONDAY 24 AUGUST – ST GILGEN & ST WOLFGANG, PERFORMANCE 4 (B, L)
The region surrounding Salzburg boasts outstanding natural beauty – an inspiration for artists and composers, such as Gustav Mahler - and charming, picture-perfect Austrian villages. Today we travel by coach to St Gilgen, on the Wolfgangsee, a lovely lakefront town where Mozart’s mother grew up. We stroll through the town before taking a boat across the lake to St Wolfgang, where we admire the Pacher Altarpiece – a masterpiece of German Gothic wood carving and painting – in the parish church. After a lakeside lunch together, we return by coach to Salzburg. In the evening we attend Richard Strauss’s rarely-staged Ariadne auf Naxos , which features English sensation Kate Lindsey as The Composer, the rising star Swedish soprano Christina Nilsson, making her Salzburg Festival debut, and Ziyi Dai as the dazzling Zerbinetta. Manfred Honeck (see below) conducts the magnificent Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra.Performance 4 details
Venue: Haus für Mozart
Program: Strauss, Adriadne auf Naxos
Performers: Kate Lindsey (The Composer), Christina Nillson (Ariadne), Ziyi Dai (Zerbinetta), Manfred Honeck (conductor), Vienna PhilharmonicTUESDAY 25 AUGUST – BAD ISCHL & THE KAISERVILLA (B, L)
Today we explore a different side of the region’s history, as a place of rest and leisure for Austria’s elite. We begin with a scenic drive, enjoying the forests, mountains and lakes from the comfort of our coach, before arriving at Bad Ischl, one of the region’s many historic spa towns. Bad Ischl’s popularity grew exponentially in the later nineteenth century when Emperor Franz Joseph built the Empress Elisabeth (‘Sisi’) a villa here, making it their preferred summer residence. The villa is still partly occupied by the descendants of the imperial family, although a significant part of it has been preserved as a museum. After a guided tour of the Kaiservilla, we have a relaxed lunch at the historic Café Zauner, before returning to Salzburg, where the evening is at leisure.WEDNESDAY 26 AUGUST – FREE DAY & PERFORMANCE 5 (B)
Following a talk in the hotel this morning, the rest of the day is at leisure to continue your explorations of this delightful small city. Your tour leader and manager will be able to advise you about Salzburg’s many museums, or you might choose to take the funicular up to Hohensalzburg, the castle which formerly guarded this important salt-trading centre. The views of the surrounding countryside are impressive. In the evening we attend a performance by starLithuanian soprano Asmik Grigorian, whose singing of the role of Carmen is not to be missed. Her remarkable vocal range ensures an exciting role debut in Bizet’s ever-popular opera.Performance 5 details
Venue: Grosses Festspielhaus
Program: Bizet, Carmen
Performers: Asmik Grigorian (Carmen), Jonathan Tetelman (Don José), Mristina Mkhitaryan (Micaëla),Teodor Curentzis (conductor), Gabriela Carrizo (director)THURSDAY 27 AUGUST – KÖNIGSSEE & PERFORMANCE 6 (B)
Today we continue to enjoy the spectacular alpine scenery with a day trip to the Königssee in Bavaria. The lake is one of the most beautiful in the region, with mountains rising steeply from its depths, and it is reputed to have some of the purest water in Germany. After travelling to the lake by coach, we take a boat across to the picturesque island of St Bartholomä. After time to stroll and take a break for lunch, we return to Salzburg where the later afternoon is at leisure. In the evening, we attend our sixth performance at the Festival: Manfred Honeck conducting the Pittsburg Symphony. Powerhouse French pianist Alexandre Kantorow as soloist in Rachmaninov’s Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini will add to the overall excitement of the event.Performance 6 details
Venue: Grosses Festspielhaus
Program: Schulhoff, Five pieces for string quartet; Rachmaninov, Rhapsody on a Theme by Paganini for piano and orchestra op. 43; Shostakovich, Symphony No. 5 in D minor op. 47
Performers: Alexandre Kantorow (piano), Manfred Honeck (conductor), Pittsburgh Symphony OrchestraFRIDAY 28 AUGUST – PERFORMANCE 7 (B, L)
After a talk in the hotel this morning, the day is at leisure to enjoy Salzburg. In the evening we have secured an additional performance, a solo recital in which Igor Levit will play one of Schubert’s late, great piano sonatas – the C minor, D.958 – and Beethoven’s ‘Appassionata’.Performance 7 details
Venue: Grosses Festspielhaus
Program: Schubert, Piano Sonata in C minor D. 958; Chopin, Fantasy in F minor op. 49; Beethoven, Piano Sonata No. 23 in F minor op. 57 – ‘Appassionata’
Performers: Igor Levit (piano)SATURDAY 29 AUGUST – PERFORMANCES 8 & 9 (B, L)
After a leisurely start to the day, we attend a matinee performance of the Vienna Philharmonic conducted by Andris Nelsons, with the always-thrilling Daniil Trifonov playing Rachmaninov’s highly emotional Piano Concerto No.3. We then enjoy a farewell lunch together at an excellent restaurant, with the rest of the afternoon at leisure. This evening, we attend our final performance at the Salzburg Festival. Director Christof Loy is a guaranteed asset to any opera, and this evening’s performance has the added advantage of being conducted by the outstanding young conductor Joana Mallwitz. Mozart’s great study of amorous human relationships, Così fan tutte, stars Elsa Dreisig as Fiordiligi, Bogdan Volkov as Ferrando and the delightful Lea Desandre as Despina. It should provide the perfect ending to our visit to the 2026 Salzburg Festival.Performance 8 details
Venue: Grosses Festspielhaus
Program: Rachmaninov, Piano Concerto No. 3 in D minor op. 30; Strauss, Don Juan op. 20 and Till Eulenspiegel’s Merry Pranks op. 28
Performers: Daniil Trifonov (piano), Andris Nelsons (conductor), Vienna PhilharmonicPerformance 9 details
Venue: Grosses Festspielhaus
Program: Mozart, Così fan tutte
Performers: Elsa Dreisig (Fiordiligi), Victoria Karkacheva (Dorabella), Bogdan Volkov (Ferrando), Andrè Schuen (Guglielmo), Lea Desandre (Despina), Joana Mallwitz (conductor), Vienna PhilharmonicSUNDAY 30 AUGUST – DEPARTURE (B)
The tour concludes after breakfast in the hotel. -
Imlauer Pitter 4*, Salzburg
https://imlauer.com/hotel-pitter-salzburg/?lang=en
Family-owned, modern hotel in the centre of Salzburg.
NB: a hotel of a similar standard may be substituted.
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10 nights’ accommodation in 4-star hotel
Premium tickets to 9 performances at the Salzburg Festival
All breakfasts, 5 lunches or dinners, and welcome drinks and canapés on arrival night
All ground transport, guides, entrances and tipping for services mentioned in the itinerary
Background talks and expert commentary by Robert Gay throughout the tour
Services of an experienced English-speaking local tour manager throughout
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A deposit of $1,000pp at the time of booking is required to hold a place on the tour.
Once the final Festival program is released in December 2025, we will send you the final itinerary with performance details.
You will have the option to retain your place, or to withdraw and receive a refund of your first deposit. Should you choose to retain your place, we will request a second deposit of $2,500pp, due within 10 business days of the confirmation of the final program.
We will invoice you for finaly payment, due on 06 June 2026.
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