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The 2026 Chimei Music Festival is coming up soon in September. This year, audiences are to enjoy a whole new level of splendor with the rare addition of 13 centuries-old stringed instruments. Among them are the extraordinary Viennese black viola and lion-head viola, which were crafted exclusively for royalty. Let’s go on a special sneak peak of this one-of-a-kind event.

The rich sound of strings resonate among the paintings in this gallery to tease the start of this year’s highly anticipated Chimei Music Festival.

This year, classical music aficionados will get to hear 13 rare stringed instruments from the Chimei Museum collection. One of them is this 300-year-old viola. Traces of its original black varnish are still visible, applied by order of the Holy Roman Empress in mourning for the late Emperor.

Chung Tai-ting
Chimei Museum stringed instruments advisor
After the Holy Roman Emperor passed away in 1765, the Empress felt that instruments played on stage should show respect to the royal family and ordered them to be varnished black.

Although the varnish has worn away over time to reveal the wood underneath, the instrument itself remains as a testament to its history. This other viola crafted in 1674 reflects the unique tastes of European royalty of the time with its carved lion-head scroll. It’s one of only four surviving Stainer violas in the world today.

Chung Tai-ting
Chimei Museum stringed instruments advisor
Lion-head instruments were all ordered custom. They’re no ordinary instruments. This is the first time we’re hosting a performance with this viola.

This year’s festival will feature music by Johannes Brahms, the leading luminary of German composition, bringing audiences on a journey through 19th-century central European music.

Chung Chia-hsin
Chimei Museum representative
We’re featuring 13 rare stringed instruments, each with centuries of history. It’s also exceptionally rare that they’re all related to Brahms in some way.

Playing masterpieces of composition with instruments from the time offers a unique opportunity for classical music lovers to hear the music as it would have sounded. By bringing 13 instruments out of its collection for the public to hear, this year’s festival promises to be the best yet.

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