Music on the Water Festival 2026: “Civiltà,” Music as a Meeting Place on Lake Como
From July 3 to 26, 17 events will take place in Colico, Como, Gravedona, and Pianello del Lario. The lineup features renowned international artists, young talents from the MACH project, a tribute to Respighi and Beethoven, and a captivating closing concert at the Lake Arena in Piona Bay.
From July 3 to 26, 2026, Lake Como will once again host the Musica sull’Acqua Festival, now in its 22nd edition. This year’s theme is “Civilization,” an invitation to rediscover the value of music as a shared experience capable of fostering dialogue, mutual listening, and collective growth.
The festival will feature 17 events across Colico, Como, Gravedona, and Pianello del Lario, offering an experience that combines music, nature, educational activities, and the promotion of the local area. Concerts, special events, musical walks, talks, and interactive activities will bring some of the most picturesque spots on the northern shore of Lake Como to life.
Among the headliners of the 2026 edition are leading international artists such as Mario Brunello, Sara Mingardo, Hanno Müller-Brachmann, Diego Matheuz, Gabriele Carcano, Antonio Valentino, and the Kandinsky Quartet, joined by the younger generation involved in the MACH – Music Art Creativity Hub project, a creative and educational center that lies at the heart of the festival’s educational mission.
The program is organized around two main themes: a tribute to Ottorino Respighi on the 90th anniversary of his death, and a series of events dedicated to Ludwig van Beethoven in the run-up to the bicentennial of his death, with a particular focus on the composer’s string quartets.
One of the highlights of the 2026 edition is its expansion into the language of dance, thanks to the participation of choreographer Ambra Senatore, who will lead projects that bring music, movement, and landscape into dialogue.
The opening ceremony is scheduled for July 3 at the Abbey of Piona with a concert dedicated to Respighi and Brahms. The grand finale will take place on July 26 at the spectacular Lake Arena, the floating theater set up in Piona Bay, where the MACH Orchestra, conducted by Diego Matheuz, will perform Beethoven’s Symphony No. 8 and Respighi’s The Birds suite, symbolically closing an edition dedicated to the civic value of art and sharing.
