Opening of the VILLI Cinema as the Brahms Society’s new concert venue, featuring the Jess Trio Vienna
The Johannes Brahms Society Pörtschach will open its new main venue with a festive concert on Sunday, 19 April 2026, at 5 pm, at the historic VILLI Cinema on Monte-Carlo-Platz in Pörtschach am Wörthersee. The musical programme will be opened by the renowned Jess Trio Vienna, which is also celebrating its 50th anniversary on stage.
The ensemble – siblings Johannes, Elisabeth and Stefan Kropfitsch, all of whom are university professors in Vienna – has been one of Austria’s leading international piano trios for decades.
The programme features works by Ludwig van Beethoven (Piano Trio Op. 1 No. 2), Rainer Bischof and Johannes Brahms (Piano Trio Op. 8). The Austrian composer Rainer Bischof will deliver a personal tribute to mark the ensemble’s anniversary.
By establishing the VILLI cinema as a future central venue, the Johannes Brahms Society is providing a lasting cultural and political impetus for the region. Built in 1930 to plans by Wörthersee architect Franz Baumgartner, the building looks back on an eventful history as a cinema and cultural venue and was last extensively refurbished in 2014. In future, it is set to regularly host concerts, film screenings, broadcasts and cultural events.
Date: Sunday, 19 April 2026, 5 pm
Venue: VILLI Cinema, Monte-Carlo-Platz, Pörtschach am Wörthersee
Performers: Jess Trio Vienna
Programme: Beethoven – Trio Op. 1 No. 2 / Bischof / Brahms – Trio Op. 8
Doors open from 4.30 pm, box office opens at 4 pm
Champagne reception before the concert and during the interval