From September 27 to October 4, 2026, Rhodes will host the 14th St. Francis International Festival of Church Organ and Music, an international cultural institution with a long-standing presence in the island’s musical events.
The Festival is organized by the Catholic Church of Rhodes, with the blessing of the Archiepiscopal Commissioner of the Catholic Archdiocese of Rhodes, Fr. Luke Gregory OFM, and is under the artistic direction of Christos Paraskevopoulos.
At the Catholic Cathedral of St. Francis, the public will have the opportunity to attend four concerts featuring Greek and international artists from Austria and Italy, while master classes for organists and students will also be held.
Of particular importance for this year’s event are the international collaborations and the support of major European institutions. The Festival is held with the generous sponsorship of the Austrian Embassy in Greece and the Italian Cultural Institute of Athens, thereby reinforcing the event’s international character and fostering cultural dialogue between Rhodes and Europe.
This year’s festival coincides with the 800th anniversary of the death of St. Francis of Assisi, lending the Festival special symbolic significance.
The church organ, a fundamental element of European and Western church music, has its roots in ancient Greece. Its predecessor is considered to be the hydraulis, the ancient Greek hydraulic instrument invented by Ctesibius of Alexandria in the 3rd century B.C., linking Greek antiquity to the later European musical tradition.
The program
Sunday, September 27, 8:00 p.m.
Concert of Choral Sacred Music
Mixed Choir and Mandolinata of the Petaloudes Municipal Unit
Conductor: Flora Pelekanou
Church Organ: Christos Paraskevopoulos
Wednesday, September 30, 8:00 p.m.
Church Organ Recital
Klaus Sonnleitner, Austria
Courtesy of the Austrian Embassy in Greece
Friday, October 2, 8:00 p.m.
Church Organ Concert by Master Class Students
Sunday, October 4, 8:00 p.m.
String and Church Organ Concert
Adriano Falcioni, church organ, Italy
Monteverdi Academy String Ensemble, Italy
Courtesy of the Italian Cultural Institute of Athens
Admission to all concerts is free.
Master Class – Performance Classes
September 29 & 30: Klaus Sonnleitner
October 1 & 2: Adriano Falcioni
Registration is required via the Festival’s Facebook page.
Organized by: Catholic Church of Rhodes
With the blessings of: Fr. Luke Gregory OFM, Archdiocesan Commissioner of the Catholic Archdiocese of Rhodes
Artistic Director: Christos Paraskevopoulos
Assistant Artistic Director – Master Class Coordinator: Aris Nikolis
Catholic Cathedral of St. Francis
28 Demokratias Street, Agios Athanasios Gate, Rhodes