The Ravenna Festival has officially unveiled its programming for the 2026 season, maintaining its long-standing tradition of hosting high-caliber musical events across the historic city of Ravenna. This year’s schedule places a significant emphasis on the human voice, featuring an extensive array of vocal concerts, operatic performances, and liturgical celebrations that span from the early Baroque period to contemporary compositions.
The season begins with a large-scale project titled Cantare amantis est, scheduled for June 1 and 2. This initiative is led by the renowned conductor Riccardo Muti, who will direct a diverse assembly of choir singers gathered from various regions across Italy. Following this opening, the festival transitions into theatrical vocal works. From June 4 to June 9, Nicola Zambon and Ludovico Dal Pra will perform in Marcello Fera’s and Guido Barbieri’s Il Santo folle. This production features the Conductus Ensemble and the Gruppo Vocale Heinrich Schütz, with Marcello Fera serving as both composer and conductor.
Mid-June features a series of performances by internationally recognized early music and choral ensembles. On June 11, Vincent Dumestre leads Le Poème Harmonique in a performance of Johann Sebastian Bach’s Magnificat BWV 243a, a cornerstone of the sacred choral repertoire. Shortly after, the Estonian ensemble Vox Clamantis arrives for two distinct appearances. On June 13, they perform Arvo Pärt’s meditative work And I Heard a Voice, followed by a participation in the In templo Domini – Liturgies in the Basilicas series on June 14. This liturgical series is a recurring element of the festival, integrating sacred music into the city's iconic Byzantine basilicas.
The diversity of the vocal program is further highlighted by the appearance of the American Grammy-winning ensemble Chanticleer on June 16 with their program Without a Song. On June 17, the focus shifts to the Neapolitan school of the 17th and 18th centuries. Soloists Leslie Visco and Marta Fumagalli will join La Cappella Neapolitana under the direction of Antonio Florio to perform works by composers such as Alessandro Scarlatti and Nicola Fago.
Choral excellence continues through the latter half of June and into July. The Coro da camera Vikra, conducted by Petra Grassi, will present a broad program including works by Johannes Brahms, Claudio Monteverdi, and Luigi Dallapiccola on June 19 and 20. The choir will also lead the liturgical service on June 21. Later, from June 23 to 28, Helmar Hauser stars in Paolo Baioni’s La bambina inglese. The liturgical series concludes its June run with the Coro da Camera del Conservatorio di Ljubljana, directed by Ambrož Čopi, on June 28.
As the festival moves into July, modern collaborations take center stage. On July 3, the Icarus Ensemble and the Banda Musicale Cittadina di Ravenna will perform OperaPaese for Ravenna, a work by Giorgio Battistelli and Guido Barbieri conducted by Mauro Vergimigli. On July 11, Antonio Greco conducts Coro & Ensemble 1685 in Sora nostra morte corporale.
The 2026 season reaches its conclusion in November with a concentrated focus on the works of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, directed by Chiara Muti. A major production of La clemenza di Tito will run from November 13 to 16, featuring soloists Giovanni Sala and Mariangela Sicilia, with Ottavio Dantone conducting the Orchestra Giovanile Luigi Cherubini. Simultaneously, the festival presents L’ultimo incanto, a production based on The Magic Flute, from November 14 to 17. The season concludes on November 15 with a performance of Mozart’s Requiem K. 626, featuring soloists Silvia Frigato and Ilker Arcayürek alongside the Coro della Cattedrale di Siena Guido Chigi Saracini.
