Salzburg Festival

music festival, Salzburg, Austria

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July 13, 2026

Quick Summary

The Salzburg Festival is a renowned annual summer event held in Salzburg, Austria, a city celebrated for its rich blend of music and architecture. Founded in 1917 by Hugo von Hofmannsthal, Richard Strauss, and Max Reinhardt, the festival initially aimed to revive theatrical traditions. It has since evolved into a major international music festival, with a particular emphasis on the works of Salzburg's most famous native son, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.12

The festival's program encompasses a wide range of musical genres, including opera, orchestral concerts, chamber music, and church music. The Festspielhaus, or Festival Theatre, is a central venue, featuring multiple auditoriums and performance spaces. The festival is a significant cultural event, drawing international artists and audiences to Salzburg each year.21

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Salzburg
The Salzburg Festival now comprises recitals, concerts of orchestral and chamber music, church music, opera, and drama. The music of Mozart dominates the festival. The Festspielhaus (Festival Theatre), converted from the court stables built into the cliff of Monks’ Hill, consists of the Rock Riding School…
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The Salzburg Festival now comprises recitals, concerts of orchestral and chamber music, church music, opera, and drama. The music of Mozart dominates the festival. The Festspielhaus (Festival Theatre), converted from the court stables built into the cliff of Monks’ Hill, consists of the Rock Riding School…
Read More

Max Reinhardt
Career in full flower
…in helping to establish the Salzburg Festival, staging Hofmannsthal’s Jedermann (Everyman) in the city’s cathedral square in 1920. With Reinhardt’s support the Salzburg Festival became an annual event, bringing about a new interest in the dramas of the Middle Ages from which Jedermann was adapted.
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…in helping to establish the Salzburg Festival, staging Hofmannsthal’s Jedermann (Everyman) in the city’s cathedral square in 1920. With Reinhardt’s support the Salzburg Festival became an annual event, bringing about a new interest in the dramas of the Middle Ages from which Jedermann was adapted.
Read More