Friday, June 26th 2026, 20.00, Villi Kino
„Der Berg ruft“
Film, talk, live music, dance
Music in the mountains!
Programme
‘Where the ice once sang’ is a 45-minute immersive performance that combines singing, piano and contemporary dance amidst the mountain landscape. The choice of this setting is not solely for aesthetic reasons: climate change is most visible where glaciers once were, and that is precisely what our stage is intended to be. Blending contemporary and classical music, our programme tells a story of destruction, double standards and loss, but also of resilience, beauty, change and hope. It invites the audience to connect with the changing rhythms of our planet, beyond the confines of words. More than just a performance, “Where the ice once sang” is a call to listen to the Earth and to the inner voice that moves us to act. By bringing together artists, nature and the community, the project aims to raise awareness of climate change and encourage people not merely to accept it passively, but to take active steps to respond to it themselves.
Break
After the interval, we’ll continue with the film *In Resonanz*. Shot by Jonathan Fäth and directed by Jo Schaul, the film tells the story of the launch of our project. In the summer of 2024, 15 friends haul a keyboard and 250kg of equipment up a steep cliff face to stage a special concert on the summit of the Niederes Dirndl (Dachstein Massif). Find out the how, who, why and what in the film and in the subsequent discussion with the protagonists!
Chiara Schmid (Moderation, Klavier)
A native of Milan, she is an Italian pianist, teacher and musicologist. Born in 1996, she began her first piano lessons at the age of 7 and, at 10, was admitted to the ‘G. Verdi’ Conservatoire in Milan. After graduating, she moved to Vienna to continue her musical studies; she also studied musicology at the University of Vienna. She then moved to Salzburg to undertake her Master’s degree at the Mozarteum University, where she studied piano chamber music as well as instrumental and vocal pedagogy. She subsequently completed a two-year postgraduate course in art song at the same university under Prof. Tukiainen. Among the most important teachers who have guided her career to date are renowned figures such as Konstantin Bogino, Cordelia Höfer-Teutsch, Rolf Plagge, Pavel Gililov, Tim Ovens, Anna Abbate, Vincenzo Balzani, Mats Widlund, Matti Hirvonen and Tuja Hakkila. Chiara’s passion for the art song and chamber music repertoire has taken her to many stages across Europe in recent years, where she regularly performs with first-rate partners in various ensembles. She also performs as a soloist, particularly in Italy, Austria, Germany and Sweden. Chiara has won numerous national and international competitions. Since September 2022, she has been teaching piano as a principal subject at Musikum Salzburg Stadt and heads the piano department there. In her spare time, she is a passionate mountaineer and, in recent years, has made it her goal to blend mountaineering and music into special mountain concerts that focus on climate change as their central theme.
Giulia Di Stefano (Tanz)
Giulia is an Italian freelance dancer, choreographer and teacher based in Salzburg. Driven by her keen interest in how the body works, she deepened her knowledge of movement anatomy and trained as a certified Comprehensive BASI Pilates instructor, specialising in pre- and post-natal training as well as injury prevention and rehabilitation. She graduated from SEAD (Salzburg Experimental Academy of Dance) in 2021 with the solo piece “BOLERO Femme” by Jill Crovisier and has been touring internationally with the ensemble ever since. In 2022, she undertook an internship with Compagnie Linga (CH) and became an active member of ‘La Intempestiva’, which represented Austria in Costa Rica with the support of the Ministry of Culture. Alongside her work as a dancer, she has led workshops across the country and contributed to ‘Hydyn Tanzt’, a production combining classical music and contemporary dance. Since 2025, she has also been working as a choreographic assistant and tutor for the professional training programme in Salzburg. In the same year, Giulia began collaborating on “A Toast to Denial”, which explores political and environmental themes through movement, as well as on “REchain”, an environmentally sustainable outdoor duet that embodies the slow-life philosophy by travelling exclusively by bicycle between residencies and performances. She is a co-founder of the “Midline Collective”, whose work was developed with the support of CODEDANS (BE), the European Ministry of Culture and the City of Salzburg (AT), and which has toured in Italy, Belgium and Austria. Her latest solo piece, accompanied by live music, premiered in 2025 with the support of the Salzburg Ministry of Culture and the TOIHAUS Theatre.
BerenikeToelle (Gesang)
Berenike Tölle is a German soprano and cellist. She completed her studies at the Mozarteum University in Salzburg in 2024. There she was trained by Juliane Banse and Pauliina Tukiainen and also received artistic guidance from Andreas Scholl and Anne Le Bozec. Her artistic focus lies on art song, ensemble repertoire, and early and contemporary music. In addition to her work as a singer, she is also active as a cellist and regularly takes part in cross-genre and interdisciplinary projects. During the 2023/24 season, she took part in the production of *Publikumsbeschimpfung* at the Rabenhoftheater in Vienna, performing both as a soprano and as a cellist. She also performs in various bands and artistic formats that reflect her openness to different musical traditions and contemporary forms of expression. As a passionate mountaineer, she is
particularly committed to projects that address environmental and social responsibility, especially in the context of climate change. Alongside her artistic career, she will soon complete her degree in psychology, specialising in mental health among professional musicians.
Ticket price: €25
Events Archive
Sunday, 19 April 2026, 5 pm
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.
Programme: Beethoven – Trio Op. 1 No. 2 / Bischof / Brahms – Trio Op. 8
29 March 2026, 5 p.m.
Pörtschach Passion Concert 2026
Johannes Brahms Quartet
Linnea Hurttia – violin
Polina Winkler – violin
Ivan Podyachev – viola
Wilhelm E. Pflegerl – cello
Spoken words: Pastor Martin Madrutter
Programme
Joseph Haydn – String Quartet “The Seven Last Words of Our Saviour on the Cross”
Thursday, 1 January 2026, 5 p.m.
Pörtschach New Year’s Concert
at the CCW (Wörthersee Congress Centre) on Monte-Carlo-Platz
This year’s traditional New Year’s Concert will feature:
The Vienna women’s orchestra ‘Tempo di Valse’
Peggy Forma – soprano
Benno Schollum – baritone
Maya Purdue (special guest) – piano
Johannes Kropfitsch (President of the JBGP) – piano
Horst Pollak – presenter
… “You can go to the Vienna Musikverein, … or – equally cool – watch the New Year’s Concert on television, … or enjoy a dignified start to the new year with a top-class concert LIVE in Pörtschach on Lake Wörthersee! Super mega cool! Buffet during the interval, followed by a fine meal? Meet friends, have fun. Experience the best music live! Experience everything LIVE!!!! Treat yourself and your loved ones to this joy! Order tickets from Pörtschach INFO while they’re still available! …”
Music by: Johann Strauss, Johannes Brahms, Johann Schrammel, Josef Strauss, Franz Lehár, and others.