Concerts in the garden of the Albrecht House

The seventh edition of the Hortus Artis Festival offers visitors and residents of Bratislava nine chamber music concerts this summer in the garden of the Albrecht House at Kapitulská 1.

The goal of the 2026 edition is to present various chamber ensembles performing music from different historical periods under the theme “unplayed and unknown.” It draws on the tradition of chamber music cultivated at the Albrecht House during the family’s lifetime and on the spirit of “exploration” that was characteristic of them.

The event does not neglect so-called historically informed performance (5 of the 9 concerts feature “early music”); the remaining concerts present rarely performed music from the 19th–21st centuries, interpreted by leading artists.

A significant portion of the program and the performers have Slovak roots or connections to Slovakia. Among other works, the program will feature compositions by J. K. Mertz, I. Zeljenka, I. Szeghy, K. Iljevský, and Ch. Durant, as well as works from the collections of the University Library in Bratislava and from manuscript collections of 18th-century dances from Slovakia. Through its content, the festival specifically highlights our cultural traditions and rich musical heritage.

The main project activities are live concerts and informal post-concert discussions with the performers. Emphasis is placed on the professionalism of the performances, the diversity of the cast, the presentation of rarely performed Slovak titles and authors and works historically linked to Slovakia.

Concerts:

Program 25.7. 2026

Gracias a la vida

Ana-Carmen Balestra, Hadewych van Gent & Vitor Noah

The trio consisting of Ana-Carmen Balestra (soprano), Hadewych van Gent (vocals and cello) and Vitor Noah (classical guitar) brings to life the captivating musical worlds of South America, France and Spain in their concerts. Inspired by their Argentine roots, Any-Carmen created a spirited and at the same time intimate program that brings immediacy and a new dimension to well-known songs and chamber classical works in an unconventional cast for voice, cello and guitar.

The program was created in cooperation and at the request of four international summer festivals – in addition to the Viva Musica! festival, these are the Wonderfeel festivals from the Netherlands, the Istanbul Music Festival from Turkey and the Valley of Arts from Hungary – and is part of the EFFEA (European Festivals Fund for Emerging Artists) residency implemented under the auspices of the European Festival Association.

“To experience such exceptional music festivals and a program that reflects our lives means a lot to us. Ana and Vitor are close friends of mine who I know from very different backgrounds. In this program we bring our most personal musical statement, so it is a great honor for us to be able to perform at these fantastic festivals,” said Hadewych van Gent, who has collaborated with British saxophone superstar Jess Gillam and has also performed at concerts by Coldplay and Grammy-winning singer Laufey.

Hadewych and Ana-Carmen Balestra studied at the prestigious Guildhall School in London. Both are versatile musicians, equally at home in and outside the classical music environment, are finalists in the Dutch Classical Talent competition and have also been nominated for one of the most important music awards in the Netherlands, the Grachtenfestival Prize. The trio is joined by a Brazilian guitarist based in Berlin – Vitor Noah, who, in addition to playing classical guitar, is also dedicated to Brazilian traditional music and exploring interpretive practice in a historical and contemporary context. He is the recipient of several major awards, including the David Russell Guitar Prize (UK), the Concurso Villa-Lobos and the MASP Guitar Competition (Brazil), as well as major prizes from international competitions in Spain and Germany. The author of all arrangements is the Brazilian guitarist Victor Santana.

The concert will take place on Saturday, July 25, 2026 at 8:00 p.m. in the picturesque Garden of the Albrecht House on Kapitulská Street.

Carrillo, Fauré, Piazzolla, de Falla, Velázquez, Villa-Lobos and others

Performing

Ana-Carmen Balestra / soprano
Hadewych van Gent / cello, vocals
Vitor Noah / guitar

Victor Santana / arrangements

Program 28.08.2026

Evening by the Danube in the rhythm of hot jazz and swing

An evening by the Danube in the rhythm of hot jazz and swing will be performed by the top orchestra FATS JAZZ BAND under the direction of Ladislav Fančovič on Friday, August 28 at 7:00 p.m.

The event takes place in the beautiful garden of the Albrecht House in the heart of Bratislava, whose genius loci recalls the romantic times of the last century, when the Albrecht family welcomed artists and friends of quality music with always open doors. Evening by the Danube is named after the beautiful song by Gejza Dusík from 1953, which was recorded by Viera Racková with the Juraj Berczeller Orchestra.

The concert will feature the best pieces from the orchestra’s repertoire, as well as tangos and foxtrots from our, then still Czechoslovak waters. You will be able to hear live songs that were played and sung by legends such as Louis Armstrong, Benny Goodman, Tommy Dorsey, Count Basie, Teddy Wilson, Ella Fitzgerald, Billie Holiday, Peggy Lee, F. K. Veselý, R. A. Dvorský, Viera Racková, Inka Zemánková and Jiřina Salačová in the 1920s to 1950s.

The project is implemented with the financial support of the Bratislava City Foundation as part of the Prešpor Swing Evenings project.

Location: Albrecht House, Kapitulská, Bratislava, Slovakia

Concert dates:

Saturday, 25.07.2026 at 8:00 p.m.

Friday, 28.08.2026 at 7:00 p.m.

Price: 20 – 24 €

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