10th Kalamata International Music Days

Kalamata Celebrates Ten Years of International Musical Presence

From August 24th to September 6th, 2026, Kalamata will host the 10th International Kalamata Music Days, the anniversary edition of a festival that, over ten years of continuous activity, has established itself as one of Greece’s most important international classical music festivals. Events will take place at the Kalamata Dance Megaron, on both the Main and Alternative Stages, as well as at the Kalamata Municipal Conservatory.

This year’s festival marks a milestone in its history. Celebrating a decade of activity, it pays tribute to the artists and ensembles that have helped shape its identity, while opening a new creative chapter through international collaborations, educational initiatives and projects that further strengthen its outward-looking character.

The artistic program features concerts by leading artists and ensembles, including Dimitris Platanias, Sofia Tambakopoulou, Jean-Guihen Queyras, Ionian Elias Kantesa, Pablo Hernán Benedí, Alexia Mouza, Felix Froschhammer, the international Caerus Chamber Ensemble, as well as the festival orchestra, the Kalamata Festival Orchestra. The program also includes masterclasses in violin, viola, cello and chamber music, alongside the 2nd International Young Artists Competition, dedicated to discovering and supporting emerging talent.

A special highlight of this anniversary edition is Vombyξ_01: 1st International Composition Competition and Academy 2026, organised by the Union of Greek Composers and the International Kalamata Music Days.

Vombyξ_01 gives six composers the opportunity to further develop their compositional skills under the guidance of two internationally acclaimed composers of the younger generation, Miroslav Srnka and Yiran Zhao. Together with five musicians from the TETTTIΞ Ensemble, which specialises in New Music, they will work intensively on the presentation of new works during the final day of the Academy.

At the closing concert, the jury will award two commissions for new works, worth €1,500 each. The commissioned works will be presented at the 11th International Kalamata Music Days in 2027, continuing the festival’s long-standing commitment to supporting new musical creation.

With a strong focus on music education and international cooperation, the International Kalamata Music Days, the Kalamata Municipal Conservatory and the Music and Arts School of Nürtingen, Germany, are launching a youth music exchange program.

The Nürtingen Youth Symphony Orchestra will collaborate with students of the Kalamata Municipal Conservatory during a week of intensive rehearsals, culminating in a concert at the Kalamata Dance Megaron on October 30th, 2026. The collaboration will then continue with a joint performance in Germany.

The festival’s artistic direction is shared by cellist Indira Rahmatulla, composer Stathis Gyftakis and cellist Dimitris Lambos.

The festival is jointly organised by the Municipality of Kalamata, the Municipality of Kalamata’s public-benefit organisation FARIS, the Kalamata Municipal Conservatory, the non-profit organisation “Music Days”, and the “TERPSIS” Association of Parents and Friends of Students of the Municipal Arts Schools of Kalamata.

The organisers warmly thank the Georgios and Victoria Karelia Foundation, Grand Sponsor of the Festival since 2018, for its long-standing and valuable support. Special thanks are also extended to the Ernst von Siemens Music Foundation for funding Vombyξ_01, the Captain Vassilis and Carmen Constantakopoulos Foundation for its sponsorship, the Peloponnese Region for its support, the Friends of Music Kalamata Association for its long-standing scholarships for students of the city, and the German-Greek Youth Foundation for funding the youth exchange program.

After ten years of continuous activity, the International Kalamata Music Days continue to promote art and music education, establishing Kalamata as a meeting place for distinguished creators, young artists and audiences from Greece and abroad.

PROGRAM HIGHLIGHTS

Thursday, August 27th, 2026
20:30, Kalamata Dance Megaron, Alternative Stage, €15/€10
SONG RECITAL: PLATANIAS - TAMBAKOPOULOU
20th-century English Romanticism

Friday, August 28th, 2026
20:30, Kalamata Dance Megaron, Alternative Stage, Free admission
FINAL CELLO CONCERT
Masterclass with Jean-Guihen Queyras

Saturday, August 29th, 2026
20:30, Kalamata Dance Megaron, Main Stage, €15/€10
GRAND ANNIVERSARY CONCERT: QUEYRAS - KANTESA - HERNÁN
The Kalamata Festival Orchestra performs works by J.S. and C.P.E. Bach

Sunday, August 30th, 2026
20:30, Kalamata Dance Megaron, Alternative Stage, €10/€5
CAERUS ENSEMBLE
From Bach to Bartók

Monday, August 31st, 2026
20:30, Kalamata Dance Megaron, Alternative Stage, €10/€5
PIANO TRIO: FROSCHHAMMER - RAHMATULLA - MOUZA
Works by Schumann and Smetana

Tuesday, September 1st, 2026
20:30, Kalamata Dance Megaron, Alternative Stage, Free admission
FINAL VIOLIN AND VIOLA CONCERT No. 1
Masterclass with Hernán, Kantesa and Francis

Wednesday, September 2nd, 2026
20:30, Kalamata Dance Megaron, Alternative Stage, Free admission
FINAL VIOLIN AND VIOLA CONCERT No. 2
Masterclasses with Froschhammer, Hernán, Kantesa and Francis

23:00, Kalamata Dance Megaron, Alternative Stage, €10/€5
A PAGE OF MADNESS: JAPANESE AVANT-GARDE CINEMA
Teinosuke Kinugasa’s film with original music by Arion Gyftakis

Thursday, September 3rd, 2026
20:30, Kalamata Dance Megaron, Alternative Stage, Free admission
2nd INTERNATIONAL YOUNG ARTISTS COMPETITION
Final round

Friday, September 4th, 2026
20:30, Kalamata Dance Megaron, Main Stage, Free admission
THE SYMPHONY OF TOYS
A concert for the whole family

Saturday, September 5th, 2026
20:30, Kalamata Dance Megaron, Alternative Stage, €10/€5
JALALI KANDY - MASTROGIANNIS: LIKE MORNING DEW PEARLS
An evening of German Lied featuring works by women composers

Sunday, September 6th, 2026
20:30, Kalamata Dance Megaron, Alternative Stage, €10/€5
VOMBYΞ_01 COMPOSITION COMPETITION: TETTTIΞ ENSEMBLE
New works for flute, clarinet, accordion, percussion and double bass

Works by Miroslav Srnka and Yiran Zhao, mentors, and competition composers Raphaëlle Aoun, Matteo Cenerini, Alejandro Mata, İlayda Deniz Oğuz, Haodong Wang and Kostas Zisimopoulos.

VENUES

Kalamata Dance Megaron, Main and Alternative Stages
Kalamata Municipal Conservatory

CREDITS

Artistic Directors: Indira Rahmatulla, Stathis Gyftakis, Dimitris Lambos
Production Assistants: Alexandra Theogianni, Konstantina Malapani
Graphic Design: Lavrentis Choraitis
Website Design and Development: Giota Vergopoulou
Sound Engineers: Alex Beck, Lennart Pieper
Filmmaker: Valentin Malanetski
Photographer: Stylianos Papardelas
Communications and Public Relations: Eleftheria Sakareli (eliakareli@hotmail.com)