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FAVORITE THINGS: we hold onto them to seek personal comfort and to share them with our loved ones. They help us through the uncertain times and enhance our celebrations in life.

In The Sound of Music, while singing “Favorite Things” to the Von Trapp children, Maria is comforting them during the thunderstorm while describing all the things that make her feel better when she feels sad. In life, thunderstorms are quite frequent guests. During these moments, thinking about our favorite things may shift our sadness, or even fear, into the direction of courage and confidence, just as the sourness of lemons becomes more tolerable and soothing as we add sweetness to it.

Fluffy green slopes, fairytale-like trails, elegant pines, majestic mountain peaks, intense power of the waterfall, and, most of all, the dear faces and warm hugs are my favorite things about Bad Gastein. My big musical family embraces new members and welcomes back everyone who chooses to come back every August for its 11th year. Whether you are a young performer, a guest, or a seasoned musician, you are warmly invited to spend time with us at “Music in the Alps”, all while adding this wonderful and inspirational experience to the list of your Favorite Things!

From Dr. Irena Portenko

Director of “Music in the Alps” International Festival and Academy

MUSIC in the ALPS is a unique multicultural, artistic, and educational experience in the hearts of the Austrian Alps.

The goal of the Music in the Alps festival is to unite international professional and talented young musicians so they can share their valuable experience in music; performing alongside each other, participating in lectures, workshops, and chamber music sessions, while enjoying their togetherness and making lifetime friendships. 

Music in the Alps provides young participants not only opportunities to perform, but also opportunities to explore additional areas of their interest such as technology and recording, art management, accompanying, teaching, directing, and production. 

The Music in the Alps festival has significantly broadened its horizons within a short period of time, it has grown from a modest number of students in 2013 into a burgeoning summer program, hosting thousands of participants and guests in beautiful Bad Gastein, Innsbruck, and Salzburg.

FROM THE ARTICLE BY JEFFREY PALMER: "MAKING MUSIC IN RIDICULOUSLY BEAUTIFUL AUSTRIAN ALPS",
WRITTEN FOR WWW.CUTCOMMONMAG.COM IN 2019

 I was fortunate enough to be asked by concert pianist and festival director Dr Irena Portenko to participate in the 2019 Music in the Alps Festival – a gathering of professional musicians and students from across Europe and North America, who come together in the idyllic Austrian spa town of Bad Gastein to learn, perform, and participate in collaborative music-making. I had met Irena earlier in the year in New York, where both of us spend the majority of our time. To say there was an immediate connection is a bit of an understatement, and before I knew it, I was making plans to join her and her merry troupe of musicians in the Austrian Alps.
Founded in 2013, Music in the Alps has grown from a small meeting of classical musicians in Bad Gastein into a robust program of lectures, lessons, masterclasses, and concerts – including a jazz component – that extend out to Innsbruck, Salzburg, and the neighboring villages. I arrived about halfway through the festival for the Bad Gastein portion and set up camp there for a week. Most activities were centered around the stately Grand Hotel de l’Europe in the heart of Bad Gastein, where we would gather for lessons and to hear student and faculty concerts each afternoon and evening respectively in the hotel’s elegant Wienersaal.

Something that makes this festival so special is the diversity in its participants and the freedom and encouragement to collaborate and explore. While everyone’s technique and level of musicianship were extremely high, our differences in style and background made for a rich blend of programming. Having the opportunity to work with the talented students – including the chance to perform with a fantastic young countertenor, and my fellow esteemed faculty – was incredibly inspiring and enriching.

Bad Gastein itself, nestled in the back of an Alpine valley, served as a womb of creativity, protecting us from the cares of the outside world and allowing us to fully focus on our musical explorations. It was easy to lose track of what time or even day it was, as we all surrendered to the deliciousness of uninterrupted music-making and the inspiration of the surrounding natural beauty. However, having the chance to leave our haven of creativity and venture into Salzburg to perform a group concert in the famed Mirabell Palace’s Marmorsaal, where Mozart himself played for the imperial family, was also welcome. Hikes were part of our routine as well, including one up Austria’s highest peak, the stunning Großglockner, as were evenings spent at the local Betty’s Bar (run by a New Zealander!) for wine and flatbread after the concerts.

Having a host of talented, innovative, open-minded individuals thrust together in a place that might be as close to heaven on earth as one can get, unsurprisingly, yields some wonderful results. Dr Portenko has created a supportive atmosphere in which teachers and students share the same goal of creating something extraordinarily beautiful in an extraordinarily beautiful space. The residents of Bad Gastein are also extremely engaged, with many of them regularly coming to each performance. This festival really does feel like a community, thanks to the wonderful people that make it possible, and, I suspect, the loving embrace of the Austrian Alps.