Friday 2 October marks the end of the celebrations for 522 years
A brass quintet, the Organ and, for the first time in the Basilica, the Alpen Horn

Friday 2 OCTOBER will see the 2026 edition of «CONCERTO DELL’APPARIZIONE» take place in the Basilica of the Madonna di Tirano.

The evening is promoted by the Coro Bernina from the province of Sondrio, based in Villa di Tirano, whose patron is precisely the Madonna di Tirano.

As usual, the concert will bring the celebrations for the anniversary of the Apparition to a close. This year it marks 522 years since the miraculous event. Staying true to tradition, the concert features the wonderful seventeenth-century organ of the Sanctuary; with almost 400 years behind it, it’s considered one of the finest in existence. However, the audience will also get to hear other instruments. Last year, with the participation of more than 400 spectators (there were also guests from Germany, England and Japan), the performance of music for Organ, Violin and Harps—played by the well-known M° Vincenzo Zitello—was a huge success.

This year, the Concert—whose first edition dates back to 1988—will present music ranging from the sixteenth to the twentieth century for Organ, Brass and the Alpen Horn.

The real new feature for the event, which after a long break between 2006 and 2022 has now reached its 17th edition, is the Alpen Horn, the Corno delle Alpi, to be played by a musician from Val Poschiavo. This will help to further strengthen one of the Concert dell’Apparizione’s defining characteristics: encouraging as many musical links as possible between Valtellina and the Canton of Grisons.

A happy return to the Organ: Marco Brunelli, who already performed in the Basilica in Tirano in 2024 alongside the well-known violinist from Valtellina, Tiziano Giudice. As for the brass, the quintet «Imperio Brass» from Cremona will take the stage. Five musicians: Tommaso Lodigiani and Leonardo Epis, Trumpet; Giuseppe Avella, Horn; Mattia Siracusa, Euphonium; Andrea Zeletti, Tuba.

At the Alpen Horn, the performer will be Samanta Paganini-Nussio from Brusio (Valposchiavo).

The programme will include pieces for Organ alone, Organ and Alpen Horn, brass alone, brass and Euphonium, and—for the first time—the full ensemble of all seven musicians, including the Alpen Horn. So, you’ll have the pleasure of hearing for the first time in the Tirano Sanctuary Basilica the velvet, gentle sound of the Alpen Horn.

This new musical tribute to Our Lady of Tirano is shaping up beautifully—not only for the 522nd anniversary of the Apparition, but also for the 80th anniversary of the Proclamation of the Madonna as Celestial Patroness of Valtellina and the people of Valtellina, by Pope Pius XII.

There’ll be a big musical celebration in the Basilica, which—just like the organisation’s usual custom—will be crowned by the display of an object of particular interest linked to the Madonna di Tirano or to the Basilica itself.

The image chosen to represent the 2026 Concert comes from an embroidered silk banner that belonged to the Confraternity of the SS. Sacramento and is now in the Parish of San Martino in Tirano. The image was provided by the photographer from Tirano, Ivan Previsdomini.

Last year, a very rare 1591 print by Hendrick Goltzius was displayed, depicting the subject of the Circumcision—later taken up in the 1600s by Giuseppe Bulgaria for one of the organ panels. This year, an extraordinary work will be displayed: it took more than 10 years to bring it to completion. The organisation, now in its thirtieth year, is led by Pietro Maletti, journalist and cultural operator from Tirano.

Given the turnout the evening usually attracts, booking your seat in advance is strongly recommended. Call 0039.392.1212012 or email piternet.press@gmail.com. From 18 September, you can do so every day between 10:00 and 19:00.

 This year too, the organisers are expecting a large audience.