The beautiful Austrian Alps are our backdrop for a selection of recitals from world-class musicians, including Quatuor Danel and the Minetti Quartet
Celebrated soloists perform Schubert Lieder and Brahms’s beguiling Die schöne Magelone; while star pianist David Fray presents Schubert’s final sonata
Daytime highlights include a visit to the fortified town of Feldkirch, resplendent with medieval charm, and Konstanz
"A most enjoyable tour from ACE. Expert leadership and tour management… Excellent music programme with works by Schubert and his contemporaries. Stunning location at Schwarzenberg in western Austria. Very comfortable Hotel die Wälderin in nearby Mellau. Various excursions including a private visit to Rieger Organ Builders at Schwarzach. Highly recommended"
- ACE customer on the 2025 Schubert in Schwarzenberg tour led by Nicholas Wearne
“Excellent music programme by Schubert and his contemporaries”
– ACE customer on the 2025 Schubert in Schwarzenberg tour
There are few more idyllic settings to appreciate the world’s best song, chamber and piano concerts than the Vorarlberg region in Austria, where the village of Schwarzenberg commands panoramic views across lush meadows strewn with wildflowers to the soaring Alps. Each summer, amidst the tranquil mountain scenery of the Bregenz Forest, a select group of musicians – from well-known international performers to up-and-coming artists – gather to present Schubert’s timeless music alongside works by other composers.
Our handsome venue is the Angelika Kauffmann Hall, one of the best places to hear chamber music in the country, named after the 18th century Swiss-born painter and founding member of the Royal Academy in London. Kauffmann spent her early years in Schwarzenberg, where, aged 16, she composed medallions of the apostles in the village church, returning 44 years later to paint the picture above the high altar.
“Schubert's last sonata (D 960), perhaps his greatest achievement in the form, has a feeling of tranquility and ease – the ease of a composer who is relaxed in his ability to express his ideas and emotions”
– BBC Record Review
The 2026 festival promises a particularly rich selection, ranging from moving piano works to lively song recitals and string quartets. In close consultation with our Tour Director, we have chosen some of the very best concerts for our tour.
Two renowned ensembles – the fabulous, multi-award-winning Minetti Quartet and the critically acclaimed Quatuor Danel – will perform masterworks by Schubert and Schumann, including Schubert’s String Quartet in A minor, D 804 ‘Rosamunde’; his Octet in F, D 803; and Schumann’s Piano Quintet in E flat, Op 44. Lieder forms a core focus, presented by a starry line-up including mezzo-soprano Sophie Rennert, baritone Konstantin Krimmel and baritone Andrè Schuen – the latter taking on Brahms’s chivalric song cycle Die schöne Magelone, Op 33, a work that will benefit particularly from our Tour Director’s contextualisation.
“What looks like a Lieder cycle is better compared to songs in Shakespeare plays. The Magelone texts in the 1797 Johann Ludwig Tieck novel function as poetic interludes, but even when set to substantial music by the young Brahms, they decorate the story rather than telling it”
– Gramophone
Neither is piano neglected, as we welcome David Fray and Elizabeth Leonskaja to the stage for Schubert’s exquisite Six moments musicaux, D 780; his masterful late sonatas in B flat (D 960) and A (D 959); and the Four Impromptus, D 935.
Complementing the music, we will enjoy a guided tour of Schwarzenberg alongside a selection of specially chosen cultural excursions. Highlights range from the superb Rieger Orgelbau workshop and lunch at the Berghaus Kanisfluh, with its stunning alpine vistas, to the fortified town of Feldkirch on the border with Switzerland and Lichtenstein. Brand new for our 2026 tour, Feldkirch is the epitome of historical charm with its medieval old town, overlooked by majestic Schattenburg Castle (former home of the Dukes of Montfort), exquisite facades and light-filled Dom St Nikolaus. We also plan to cross Lake Constance by ferry, docking at the splendid lakeside city of Konstanz, a treasure trove of medieval and Romanesque architecture.
We will stay in the elegant and relaxing four-star Hotel Die Wälderin, a 10-15 minute walk from the centre of the village of Mellau and a short drive from Schwarzenberg.
Nicholas Wearne
Nicholas is an organist and Senior Tutor at the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire.
Tour Director Nicholas Wearne, BA, MPhil, is an organist and international competition prize-winner who was previously Assistant Organist at New College, Oxford and Organist at St Martin-in-the-Fields, Trafalgar Square. Nicholas is a former ACE Bursary student and currently holds the position of Senior Tutor at the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire. He has led this popular tour to Schwarzenberg for many years and is delighted to be returning in 2026 to enjoy such a broad range of performances, alongside the opportunity to visit Konstanz, Feldkirch and the wonderful Berghaus Kanisfluh.
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£4695
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