After the summer break, the Incontri Musicali, the chamber music concert season of the William Walton Foundation, returns to the Giardini La Mortella in Ischia, under the artistic direction of Lina Tufano.
The autumn 2026 concerts are part of the celebrations for the centenary of the birth of Lady Susana Walton, founder and creative force of the Giardini La Mortella. In recognition of her extraordinary legacy, the Foundation has invited all the young musicians performing this season to dedicate a piece to her memory, a tribute welcomed with great enthusiasm by the performers.
Music has always been one of the primary vocations of the William Walton Foundation, which through its activities supports and nurtures young and very young talents, offering them training and performance opportunities and accompanying them in the first steps of their concert careers. A mission deeply rooted in the vision of Susana Walton, who, after the passing of her husband, the English composer Sir William Walton, transformed La Mortella into a vibrant cultural center, placing music and the education of new generations at the heart of her work.
The autumn program brings together young performers from some of the most prestigious Italian and international musical institutions, including the Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia in Rome, the Stauffer Academy in Cremona, the Fiesole School of Music, the Keyboard Charitable Trust, and the Royal College of Music in London.
This year, some events will also be held in collaboration with the Accademia Filarmonica Romana, as part of a project that brings Rome and Ischia into dialogue and offers young musicians the opportunity to perform both in the Sala Casella in Rome and in the Recital Hall of the La Mortella Gardens.
The Program
The season will open Saturday, September 5th and Sunday, September 6th with the Liszt Piano Trio, consisting of violinist Elia Chiesa, cellist Luigi Visco, and pianist Christian De Luca, all winners of major international competitions.
The following weekend, the young pianist Daniele Martinelli, winner of the Premio Venezia 2025 and numerous international competitions, will perform.
In September, the duo of cellist Monica Righi and pianist Ivan Maliboshka, recent winner of first prize at the Rospigliosi International Competition, will perform, as will the young Italian-Albanian pianist Ruben Xhaferi, just twenty-one, winner of numerous first prizes and currently completing his advanced studies with Maestro Benedetto Lupo at the Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia.
The first weekend of October will be dedicated to Italian pianist Greta Lobefaro, already acclaimed nationally and internationally. The following weekend will feature an unusual and particularly virtuoso ensemble: American double bassist Levi Andreassen and British pianist Thomas Luke.
The season will continue with the duo of violinist Letizia Gullino and pianist Luca Guido Troncarelli, both of whom have performed at major Italian and international concert seasons.
On October 24 and 25, the Stauffer Cello Quartet, an ensemble of four young Italian cellists who all completed advanced training at the Stauffer Academy, will perform a varied and original program.
The 2026 concert season of the Walton Foundation will close out on the weekend between October and November with the violin and piano duo Clara Scholtes and Irene Novi.
These final events will conclude a particularly rich year of initiatives dedicated to the memory of Lady Susana Walton, a visionary and determined woman whose foresight not only led to the creation of the Giardini La Mortella, but also to the establishment of the William Walton Foundation and the project supporting young musicians that remains one of its fundamental missions today.
The concerts will be held on Saturdays and Sundays at 5:00 PM in the Recital Hall of the Giardini La Mortella.
The autumn 2026 concerts are part of the celebrations for the centenary of the birth of Lady Susana Walton, founder and creative force of the Giardini La Mortella. In recognition of her extraordinary legacy, the Foundation has invited all the young musicians performing this season to dedicate a piece to her memory, a tribute welcomed with great enthusiasm by the performers.
Music has always been one of the primary vocations of the William Walton Foundation, which through its activities supports and nurtures young and very young talents, offering them training and performance opportunities and accompanying them in the first steps of their concert careers. A mission deeply rooted in the vision of Susana Walton, who, after the passing of her husband, the English composer Sir William Walton, transformed La Mortella into a vibrant cultural center, placing music and the education of new generations at the heart of her work.
The autumn program brings together young performers from some of the most prestigious Italian and international musical institutions, including the Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia in Rome, the Stauffer Academy in Cremona, the Fiesole School of Music, the Keyboard Charitable Trust, and the Royal College of Music in London.
This year, some events will also be held in collaboration with the Accademia Filarmonica Romana, as part of a project that brings Rome and Ischia into dialogue and offers young musicians the opportunity to perform both in the Sala Casella in Rome and in the Recital Hall of the La Mortella Gardens.
The Program
The season will open Saturday, September 5th and Sunday, September 6th with the Liszt Piano Trio, consisting of violinist Elia Chiesa, cellist Luigi Visco, and pianist Christian De Luca, all winners of major international competitions.
The following weekend, the young pianist Daniele Martinelli, winner of the Premio Venezia 2025 and numerous international competitions, will perform.
In September, the duo of cellist Monica Righi and pianist Ivan Maliboshka, recent winner of first prize at the Rospigliosi International Competition, will perform, as will the young Italian-Albanian pianist Ruben Xhaferi, just twenty-one, winner of numerous first prizes and currently completing his advanced studies with Maestro Benedetto Lupo at the Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia.
The first weekend of October will be dedicated to Italian pianist Greta Lobefaro, already acclaimed nationally and internationally. The following weekend will feature an unusual and particularly virtuoso ensemble: American double bassist Levi Andreassen and British pianist Thomas Luke.
The season will continue with the duo of violinist Letizia Gullino and pianist Luca Guido Troncarelli, both of whom have performed at major Italian and international concert seasons.
On October 24 and 25, the Stauffer Cello Quartet, an ensemble of four young Italian cellists who all completed advanced training at the Stauffer Academy, will perform a varied and original program.
The 2026 concert season of the Walton Foundation will close out on the weekend between October and November with the violin and piano duo Clara Scholtes and Irene Novi.
These final events will conclude a particularly rich year of initiatives dedicated to the memory of Lady Susana Walton, a visionary and determined woman whose foresight not only led to the creation of the Giardini La Mortella, but also to the establishment of the William Walton Foundation and the project supporting young musicians that remains one of its fundamental missions today.
The concerts will be held on Saturdays and Sundays at 5:00 PM in the Recital Hall of the Giardini La Mortella.