SOUNDspring 2026

KLANGfrühling – what started as a classical music festival has now become much more: In May 2026, the Friedensburg Schlaining will transform into a musical playground – a castle where one can get lost among ancient walls, new sounds, and exciting encounters. The festival week runs from May 9 to May 17, with a first sign of life already on March 4 at the pre-opening concert featuring the legendary Hagen String Quartet from the Mozart city of Salzburg. The motto for 2026 is WORD (Greek: Λόγος - LOGOS). It sounds abstract and philosophical, but it is absolutely concrete: how a thought becomes a sound, a sketch becomes a piano piece, and a motif becomes a whole universe. WORD / LOGOS stands for the transmission, twisting, and rethinking of musical ideas. Right where creativity sparks, the audience dives into KLANGfrühling and is captivated from the very first minute – no matter if they are classical music nerds, theater junkies, or simply curious. The base is the Schlaining Castle, but the festival does not stay confined to the courtyard: concerts will pop up in all five districts – Altschlaining, Drumling, Goberling, Neumarkt im Tauchental, and Stadtschlaining. KLANGfrühling truly means: an entire village (or several) becomes a stage.