Kings of Convenience in Monforte d'Alba: tickets for an intimate Auditorium Horszowski concert with strings

Kings of Convenience in an intimate amphitheater among the Langhe hills

Kings of Convenience will perform at Auditorium Horszowski in Monforte d'Alba on Sunday, July 26, 2026, at 7:00 p.m. The concert is part of the anniversary 50th edition of the Monfortinjazz festival and marks the Norwegian duo's return to a stage where they already performed in 2015. This time, Erlend Øye and Eirik Glambek Bøe will be joined by a string trio, an important detail for an audience familiar with their songs in the stripped-down form of two voices and acoustic guitars.

Placing this kind of music in a small amphitheater at the top of the historic center is not merely a picturesque backdrop. Kings of Convenience build their songs on subtle shifts in harmony, the precise interweaving of guitars and vocals that often meet with almost no visible effort. In a venue with 800 seats, such details do not have to compete with the noise of a large arena. The audience can hear the rhythm of fingers on strings, the change in dynamics during the chorus and the moment when two voices separate and then come together again.

Tickets for this event are currently on sale.

Why this return matters

Monfortinjazz announced the concert as one of the central highlights of its 50th edition. The return after the 2015 performance gives the evening a different weight from an ordinary stop on a summer schedule. The duo are not coming to discover the venue for the first time, but are returning to a location whose size closely matches their natural concert aesthetic.

Erlend Øye and Eirik Glambek Bøe founded Kings of Convenience in Bergen in the late 1990s. Their breakthrough at the beginning of the new millennium came during a period when alternative music often sought bigger guitars and denser production. They took the opposite path. The album "Quiet Is the New Loud" turned silence, the space between notes and gentle vocal harmonies into a recognizable signature.

That approach continued through the albums "Riot on an Empty Street" and "Declaration of Dependence", but without repeating the same formula. Songs such as "Misread", "I'd Rather Dance with You", "Toxic Girl", "Mrs. Cold" and "Boat Behind" show how many different moods can fit within a seemingly simple acoustic framework. Some rely on melancholy, some on a rhythm that almost imperceptibly pulls toward dancing, and others on humor that reveals itself only after more attentive listening.

The current phase of their career and the album "Peace or Love"

The duo's latest studio album, "Peace or Love", was released in 2021 after a twelve-year gap since the previous album. The comeback single "Rocky Trail" immediately showed that the group's fundamental language had not changed: two guitars, a melody that avoids the most predictable pop structure and vocals that convey complex emotion without raising their voices. The single "Fever" followed, while the album expanded the sound with discreet strings, bass, keyboards and other carefully measured layers.

Feist appears on the album in the songs "Love Is a Lonely Thing" and "Catholic Country". This continues a collaboration that dates back to the album "Riot on an Empty Street", on which her voice was an important part of the songs "Know-How" and "The Build Up". Her appearance has not been announced for the concert in Monforte d'Alba, so the audience should not expect in advance a guest appearance that has not been confirmed.

"Peace or Love" connects the duo's familiar tenderness with bossa nova rhythms, chamber-music colors and more mature lyrics about friendship, love and growing apart. "Rocky Trail" has a livelier pulse, "Fever" moves gently and seductively, while songs such as "Rumours", "Angel" and "Washing Machine" show how much the duo relies on nuances of interpretation.

The 2026 concert is not accompanied by an announcement of a new studio release, so it is more realistic to expect a selection covering different phases of their career than a program focused solely on one record. The exact song order has not been published.

What a string trio can bring to the songs

The most specific production detail announced for Monforte d'Alba is the string trio. The musicians' names have not been provided, but the lineup itself naturally suits the band's catalog. Kings of Convenience's music already uses viola, cello, double bass and other acoustic colors on its studio recordings without overwhelming the songs' basic structure. In an amphitheater with good natural acoustics, the strings can extend the harmonies, emphasize melodic responses between the guitars and give a deeper tone to slower compositions.

For the audience, this means a concert that requires silence and attention. During the calmest songs, conversation in the auditorium can cover precisely the details that make this music convincing. The catalog, however, is not entirely static. "I'd Rather Dance with You", "Love Is No Big Truth", "Rocky Trail" and "Boat Behind" have a more pronounced sense of movement, so the evening can shift from chamber-like concentration to a more relaxed shared rhythm.

Songs that represent their range well

• "Toxic Girl" - an early combination of acoustic lightness, irony and precise vocal harmony.
• "Misread" - melancholy placed within a bright, easily memorable melody.
• "I'd Rather Dance with You" - the duo's more rhythmic side and a song that easily gets the audience moving.
• "Mrs. Cold" - a restrained performance with a clear guitar pulse and tension beneath the calm surface.
• "Boat Behind" - melodic economy and movement that work well in an acoustic environment.
• "Rocky Trail" - a key song from the comeback period and a bridge toward the album "Peace or Love".
• "Fever" - a gentler example of the influence of bossa nova on the newer material.

This list is not an announcement of the repertoire for Monforte d'Alba. These are songs that help listeners understand the breadth of the catalog before the concert.

Auditorium Horszowski as part of the performance

Auditorium Horszowski is located at the top of the old part of Monforte d'Alba. It is an open-air amphitheater shaped by the natural slope of the terrain, between historic buildings and the walls of the Scarampi complex. In 1986, the venue was named after pianist Mieczysław Horszowski, who performed there during the naming ceremony.

The festival states a capacity of 800 seats, including stands installed for the festival program. Such a size creates a sense of proximity to the performers that is difficult to achieve in halls holding several thousand visitors. The organizers also emphasize good visibility from different parts of the auditorium and acoustics supported by the shape of the natural cavea.

For Kings of Convenience, this is a highly suitable relationship between space and music. Their songs do not depend on large screens or a massive rhythm section. The main event takes place in microdetails: a precise strike on an acoustic guitar, a brief pause before a verse, a change of lead vocalist and a harmony that appears only at the end of a phrase.

Because of the limited number of seats, it is advisable to secure tickets in good time.

Who will find the concert particularly appealing

The most obvious audience consists of listeners who have followed Kings of Convenience since the album "Quiet Is the New Loud". For them, the return to Monfortinjazz will offer a comparison between today's performance and the duo's earlier phases. The concert may be equally interesting to fans of indie folk, chamber pop, bossa nova and singer-songwriter music.

This is not an ideal choice for a visitor who expects uninterrupted loudness and a large dance production from a summer concert. The appeal is precisely the opposite: a focused performance, a small venue, clear acoustics and performers who rely on active listening. The string trio additionally brings the evening closer to an audience that enjoys chamber arrangements and performances in which every instrument can be followed.

Monforte d'Alba and preparing for the evening

Monforte d'Alba is located in the Piedmontese region of the Langhe, in a landscape of vineyards and hills associated with the production of Barolo. The historic center climbs toward the top of the settlement, where Auditorium Horszowski is situated. Visitors arriving earlier can expect steeper streets, stone passageways and small squares, so practical footwear is more useful than shoes chosen solely for an evening out.

The 7:00 p.m. start leaves time for sightseeing before the concert, but the final part of the journey should not be underestimated. The Auditorium cannot be reached directly by car. Visitors need to find parking, wait for transportation or continue on foot through the historic center and then pass through the entrance checkpoint.

Because it is an open-air venue, the weather forecast and the organizers' latest information should be checked before departure. Sun protection may be important during earlier admission, while the temperature after sunset may differ from the afternoon temperature. Rules concerning umbrellas, bottles, bags and other items should be checked immediately before the event because a detailed list of permitted items has not been published on the program page.

Arrival, parking and the final part of the journey

The address listed for the festival venue is Via del Carretto 16, 12065 Monforte d'Alba. The organizer warns that Auditorium Horszowski cannot be reached directly by car. Free parking is provided near the cemetery in Monforte d'Alba, and free transportation from there to the concert venue has been announced.

• From the direction of Turin, the route follows the A6 motorway toward Savona, takes the Marene exit, then continues on the A33 to the Cherasco area and onward toward Monchiero and Monforte d'Alba.
• From the direction of Milan, the route follows the A21 motorway toward Turin, takes the Asti Est exit, then continues on the A33 to Alba and onward toward Barolo and Monforte d'Alba.
• From the direction of Savona, the A6 motorway to the Mondovì exit is recommended, followed by the route toward Monchiero and Monforte d'Alba.
• The parking area by the cemetery is signposted from the direction of the main square, and transportation to the concert venue has been announced without an additional charge.
• For public transportation and regional connections, timetables for the day of the concert should be checked because no special bus or railway schedule is listed in the event information.

Arriving well before the start reduces the risk of waiting on access roads and for transportation to the venue. This is particularly important because the concert takes place in a historic center with limited road access. In a venue with 800 seats, places can fill quickly, and arriving late may mean missing the first songs even when the car has already been parked.

What has been confirmed and what has not yet been published

The date, the 7:00 p.m. start, the performance by Kings of Convenience, the Auditorium Horszowski location, the duo's return after the 2015 concert and the participation of a string trio have been confirmed. The ticket is valid for one day.

The entrance opening time, the concert's total duration, any possible interval and the exact set list are not stated in the published program. No opening act has been listed, and the names of the string trio members have not been published. Visitors should therefore not plan return transportation based on an assumed ending time. It is safer to allow enough time after the concert to leave the auditorium, travel back to the parking area and continue the journey on local roads.

For the best experience, it is useful to bring only what is necessary, arrive early and check the information about admission, weather and transportation again before departure. Musical preparation can be simple: listen to "Quiet Is the New Loud", "Riot on an Empty Street", "Declaration of Dependence" and "Peace or Love", but without trying to predict the evening song by song. The most interesting part of the performance is precisely the possibility that familiar material will take on a new color through the string trio and the acoustics of the small open-air amphitheater.

Sources:

• Monfortinjazz - the concert date and time, the festival's 50th edition, the return after the 2015 performance and the confirmed string trio.
• Monfortinjazz - the history of Auditorium Horszowski, the open natural cavea, the capacity of 800 seats, the acoustics and the naming in 1986.
• Monfortinjazz - the address, road directions, free parking, transportation to the venue and the warning that the auditorium cannot be reached directly by car.
• Kings of Convenience - the artist profile and the release of the single "Rocky Trail".
• Pitchfork - the context of the album "Peace or Love", the twelve-year gap between albums, the track list and the musical characteristics of the more recent period.