Lightning can strike at any time. Dangerous, liberating, and exhilarating – thunderbolts, sparks of inspiration, flashbacks, and bursts before our eyes and in our ears – like hell and high lightning! The theme of Musikfestival Bern 2026 is “Lightening”, a particularly memorable, demanding, and sometimes overwhelming acoustic occurrence; a mythologically charged and inspiring natural phenomenon.
From science fiction to high-energy dance music to the current war situation in Ukraine, the theme lends an enormous range to the festival program. Among these are, for the first time, two projects from the “Scratch” program for emerging artists, in collaboration with the Bern University of the Arts (HKB). The music of composer James Dillon, who serves as Composer in Residence for the 2026 edition, is also highly volatile – and fittingly – charged like lightning.

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