The Carinthian Summer Music Festival is the most important music and cultural festival in the Austrian province of Carinthia and has been held annually since 1969 in the summer months of July and August in Ossiach, the city of Villach and also at other venues in Carinthia.
The special atmosphere of the Carinthian Summer Music Festival with its diverse venues attracts artists and audiences from all over the world every year in July and August. The main focus is on musical diversity. In addition to chamber and orchestral music as well as church opera, music from the fields of jazz and crossover, Rock/Pop music and the experimental area is also offered as part of the festival programme to inspire audiences of all ages. The Rising Stars concerts promote young artists and integrate them into the festival. For example, the winners of the International Hans Gabor Belvedere Singing Competition will have the opportunity to present themselves to a large audience.
After Helmut Wobisch, Gerda Fröhlich and Thomas Daniel Schlee, Holger Bleck is now the artistic and managing director of the Carinthian Summer since 1 January 2016.