Dear friends,

2026 is a special year for us, as, in addition to the already established Cello Festival, we have the pleasure to offer piano, violin and vocal masterclasses, as well as a seminar on musical heritage for the first time.

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From 18 to 24 July 2026, we are honoured to welcome the distinguished pianist Vassilis Varvaressos, who will be joining us for masterclasses and concerts.

 

We are also delighted to welcome back the acclaimed violinist Noé Inui, who will be with us from 25 to 29 July.

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From 24 to 31 July, the Cello Festival will take place, for which we are delighted to welcome the internationally acclaimed cellist Christoph Heesch. The stable group of cellists of the last twelve years will, of course, be with us again.

 

It is with great enthusiasm that we welcome back the soprano Myrtò Papatanasiu for a vocal masterclass. Our good friend Apollon Grammatikopoulos honours us with his presence on the violin and viola once again this year from July 26th to August 1st.

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For the first time in the history of our festival, we will offer a seminar on musical heritage under the guidance of Prof. Tiago de Oliveira Pinto and Prof. Pavlos Kavouras, both holders of UNESCO Chairs.

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​​1st week: July 18th-25th

Piano, Violin, Chamber Music

 

3rd Piano Festival:

Vassilis Varvaresos: 18-24 July

Violin:

Noé Inui: 19-25 July

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2nd week: July 24th-31st

Violin, Viola, Cello, Vocal Masterclass, Chamber Music, Seminar on Musical Heritage

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12th Violoncello Festival:

Christoph Heesch, Angelos Liakakis, Vassilis Saïtis (*from July 25th), Themistocles Vagenas, Dimitris Karagiannakidis:

24-31 July

   

Violin:

Apollon Grammatikopoulos (will be teaching viola as well): July 26th-August 1st

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Vocal Masterclass:

Myrtò Papatanasiu

Coach: Dimitris Vezyroglou

24-31 July

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Seminar on Musical Heritage

Tiago de Oliveira Pinto, Pavlos Kavouras: 24-31 July

 

 

Most instrumental tutors will be teaching chamber music as well. Please refer to our Tutors page, the tutors' CVs and the application form.

 

From 21 to 24 July, a daily workshop for the children of Zagora will be held by the musician Niki Papageroudi, in collaboration with the “Giannis Kordatos” Association.

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Concert Programme
 

A rich concert programme will take place throughout this year’s PelionFestival. Concerts will be given repeatedly by Vassilis Varvaressos, Noé Inui, Apollon Grammatikopoulos, Christoph Heesch, Myrtò Papatanasiu, Christos Papageorgiou, Angelos Liakakis, Vassilis Saitis, Martina Jatkauskaite, Zoe Samsarelou and Dimitris Karagiannakidis.

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We are also delighted to host for the first time the innovative Oros Ensemble for two concerts in Zagora and Tsagarada.

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For the first time, a tribute to the composers from Volos and Pelion—Christos Hatzis, Kostas Tsougras, Christos Papageorgiou and Nikos Xanthoulis—will be presented in a series of events, in many cases with the composers themselves in attendance, featuring lectures and performances of their works.

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In addition, the Artistic Director, Zoe Samsarelou, inaugurates this year a new series of lectures and piano recitals dedicated to Ancient Greece, beginning with the theme “Euripides, Hecuba, and the consequences of war.”

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In its 26-year run, the Festival has grown into a significant educational and artistic institution, not only in a national level but internationally as well. That can be confirmed by the growing number of participants from Europe, America and Asia.

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We wish you a pleasant and full-of-experiences summer.

The artistic directors,

Zoe Samsarelou

Dimitris Karagiannakidis

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