St Mark's Basilica hosts The Tallis Scholars on 17 October

St Mark's Basilica (Basilica di San Marco) in Venice hosts The Tallis Scholars on 17 October 2026, bringing a Biennale Musica concert into one of the city’s principal religious spaces. The performance is scheduled for 9pm and admission is with a ticket.

The Tallis Scholars bring Biennale Musica to St Mark's Basilica

The concert forms part of the 2026 edition of Biennale Musica, the Venice festival presented by La Biennale di Venezia. The organiser’s programme lists The Tallis Scholars at St Mark's Basilica on Saturday 17 October 2026, with Peter Phillips directing the choir. The venue and date appear together on the official concert page.

The programme moves between early sacred music and more recent choral writing. It includes works by Hildegard von Bingen, Arvo Pärt and Gregorio Allegri, alongside a new work by Kara-Lis Coverdale commissioned by La Biennale di Venezia. The event therefore connects the basilica’s established liturgical setting with a contemporary festival commission.

St Mark's Basilica links a living church with music history

The concert is being presented in collaboration with the Basilica e Procuratoria di San Marco. The Procuratoria is the body responsible for protecting, maintaining and restoring the basilica, its bell tower and related properties, giving the venue’s role in the programme a direct institutional link.

The building remains both a church and a major part of Venice’s public and religious life. Its visitor information identifies the basilica, the Pala d’Oro, the museum and loggia, and the bell tower as distinct parts of the complex. That range of spaces helps explain why a concert in the building is more than a city-centre music listing: it places a contemporary choral programme inside a working monument whose care is coordinated by the Procuratoria.

For visitors, the evening also offers a different way to encounter the building. The daytime visit focuses on architecture, devotional objects and the museum areas, while the concert uses the basilica as an acoustic and ceremonial setting. The organiser describes the programme as a journey through centuries of vocal music, making the event relevant to both the festival and the church itself.

Visiting St Mark's Basilica: what travellers from Western Europe should know

• The concert takes place at St Mark's Basilica in Venice on 17 October 2026 at 9pm.
• Admission is with a ticket for The Tallis Scholars performance. The concert is separate from an ordinary daytime visit to the basilica.
• The basilica is at San Marco 328, 30124 Venice, in St Mark's Square. The official site identifies Venice as the location and the Procuratoria’s address as San Marco 328.
• The programme includes Hildegard von Bingen, Arvo Pärt, Gregorio Allegri and a new commission by Kara-Lis Coverdale, so the musical focus is choral and sacred rather than instrumental.

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Frequently asked questions about St Mark's Basilica

When do The Tallis Scholars perform at St Mark's Basilica?

The concert takes place on 17 October 2026 at 9pm as part of Biennale Musica.

What is on the programme at St Mark's Basilica?

The programme includes music by Hildegard von Bingen, Arvo Pärt and Gregorio Allegri, plus a new commission by Kara-Lis Coverdale.

Where is St Mark's Basilica and how do you get there?

It is at San Marco 328 in Venice, in St Mark's Square. The basilica is part of the San Marco complex managed and maintained by the Procuratoria.