On 26 July 2026, Vitali Alekseenok conducts the Mozarteumorchester Salzburg at the opening ceremony of the Salzburg Festival, broadcast live by ORF 2 from the Felsenreitschule.
He is joined by soloist Vilde Frang (violin) and the Salzburger Festspiele und Theater Kinderchor for works by Olivier Messiaen, Édouard Lalo and Lili Boulanger. The keynote address is given by Belarusian civil rights activist and musician Maria Kalesnikava, with the official opening by Federal President Alexander Van der Bellen.
To lead a ceremony of this weight is to stand for a moment that reaches far beyond the musical programme itself – a responsibility entrusted to very few conductors.