Kyiv Baroque Fest – 2026: Gesualdo, the Mozarts and the Hope of the Unknowable

Kyiv Baroque Fest, an international early music festival, returns to the National Philharmonic of Ukraine for its third edition Nov. 12-22, continuing its exploration of the many different approaches to early music. The festival program features 32 events over 11 days – 15 concerts, 12 lectures, three masterclasses and two open conversations – unfolding as a continuous journey from lectures and professional masterclasses to daytime and evening concerts, open discussions and a photography exhibition. All events are brought together under the theme “Gesualdo / The Mozarts: Hope of the Unknowable.”JOIN US ON TELEGRAMFollow our coverage of the war on the @Kyivpost_official. Organized jointly by three Ukrainian arts institutions – the National Philharmonic of Ukraine, Open Opera Ukraine and the National House of Music – Kyiv Baroque Fest combines concerts with educational events, discussions and interdisciplinary projects. The festival seeks to create a space for intellectual freedom, where early music becomes a starting point for conversations about the modern world: its complexity and contradictions, and the need for cognitive flexibility alongside intellectual vigilance. Kyiv Baroque Fest was first held in 2023 with a program conceived as a French overture and titled “Rameau / Bortniansky: Gallant Europes.” From the outset, it was built around a dialogue between Ukrainian and European music. In 2024, the festival established itself as a prominent event on Kyiv’s cultural calendar, drawing full houses and considerable public and media attention. In 2025, KBF took another step forward, opening up early music to experimentation and unexpected stylistic combinations. Under the motto “Take Five!,” the festival brought together five composers — Heinrich Schütz, George Frideric Handel, Domenico Scarlatti, Johann Sebastian Bach and Maksym Berezovsky – tracing connections between musical traditions across Europe. In 2026, this trajectory continues in a new direction. This year’s festival focuses on the myths surrounding genius, the relationship between ethics and artistic expression, gender roles and the boundaries of creative freedom – from unexpected choices to radical experimentation. How do talent and moral choice coexist? Why do some names become symbols of their age while others gradually disappear from history? And how does our perception of music from past centuries change when we discover new contexts and unexpected connections? At the heart of this year’s program are Carlo Gesualdo and several generations of the Mozart family: Leopold, Wolfgang, Nannerl and Franz Xaver. Though they belonged to different eras, each in their own way reflected the ideas of genius prevalent in their time. Anniversaries associated with Gesualdo, Wolfgang Mozart and Franz Xaver Mozart also provide an occasion to revisit their lives and music. What connects these figures above all is the unknowable – evident both in the unpredictability of their creative experiments and in the way established views of music history and its leading figures change over time. This is particularly clear in the case of Nannerl Mozart, a gifted musician who for a long time was remembered almost exclusively for performing alongside her brother Wolfgang. Returning to the music of the past allows us to discover new ways of hearing and understanding its sound worlds and, in turn, of shaping our own. Such discoveries broaden our understanding of music and influence how we create and experience it today. The unknowable is one of the most fitting ways to describe creative exploration and moments of revelation. It reminds us that art can remain a space of hope even in times of profound hardship. The festival therefore approaches the unknowable as a resource. In a world increasingly inclined to seek simple answers, Kyiv Baroque Fest offers a different experience: an invitation not to fear ambiguity, to remain open to different interpretations, and to listen to, think about and experience early music as a space that resonates remarkably with the challenges of the 21st century. The festival will feature early music performers from Belgium, Germany, Poland, the U.S., France, Italy and Switzerland: Jan De Winne – traverso, Belgium Sequentia, featuring Benjamin Bagby (voice / Anglo-Saxon lyre) and Norbert Rodenkirchen (transverse flutes) – Germany / US / France Marek Toporowski – conductor and harpsichordist, Poland Giovanna Baviera – voice and viola da gamba, Italy Elam Rotem – harpsichord and organ, Switzerland The festival program may change depending on the security situation. The festival is organized in partnership with the ZMIN Foundation. Festival partners: Polish Institute in Kyiv, Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany in Ukraine, French Institute in Kyiv, Embassy of the Kingdom of Belgium in Ukraine, Embassy of the Italian Republic in Ukraine, Italian Cultural Institute in Ukraine, Embassy of the Republic of Austria in Ukraine, CMM Youth Music Center, Lines & Waves Publishing, a music publishing company, Dnipro Hotel. Media support: International media partner Kyiv Post; Dim TV Channel; Suspilne.Culture; Kyiv24; Radio Culture; Hromadske Radio; Lb.ua; Ukrinform; The Claquers. Kyiv Post is Ukraine’s first and oldest English news organization, reporting since 1995. Its international reach – 90% of readers are outside of Ukraine – make it truly Ukraine’s global voice.