Twenty-one events from October to June with performers for the first time in Pisa, such as the international singer Norma Winstone, or the ensemble Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin. The festival is organized by the Scuola Normale Superiore, with the support of the Pisa Foundation and the collaboration of the Teatro Verdi Foundation of Pisa.
The Concerts of the Normal extinguish 60 candles. Since 1967, the Scuola Normale Superiore has organized a music festival in Pisa, primarily classical, but also featuring contemporary music, aimed at students and citizens and conceived as a growth for individuals and communities. Artistic Director Carlo Boccadoro, along with the project's partner institutions-the Pisa Foundation, the Pisa Theatre Foundation, and the Municipality of Pisa-presented the 2026-2027 program today, which will feature established names and young musicians, compositions from the major repertoire, and specially commissioned unreleased songs. It begins with the grand inaugural concert on October 18, the 216th anniversary of the founding of the Scuola Normale, which will see the Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin, a historic German chamber orchestra called upon to perform Johann Sebastian Bach's Brandenburg Concertos, perform on the stage of the Teatro Verdi in Pisa.
A kaleidoscopic season, made up of 21 events with classic and other unusual pages, majestic concerts and first fruits. There are many piano recitals designed to amaze the audience. It begins with Enrico Pieranunzi's jazz performance on November 17, which will feature original arrangements of famous themes from Ennio Morricone's soundtracks; it continues with another piano great, Andrea Lucchesini, on December 9, with a program on Berio, Liszt, and Chopin; international pianist Paul Lewis will perform music by Mozart, Mendelssohn, and Schubert on January 17; and Maurizio Baglini will perform music by Mozart, Mendelssohn, and Schubert on January 26 He will perform with one of the absolute pinnacles of virtuosity, Liszt's piano transcription of Beethoven's Ninth Symphony; another international protagonist, Marc-André Hamelin, will be a guest on March 23, with well-known works by Debussy and Chopin combined with rarely heard works by Earl Wild and Mieczyslaw Weinberg.
In addition to the inaugural Bach, Baroque music will be present with Vivaldi's Chamber Concertos, performed by the L'Astrée ensemble on February 25; with the madrigalists of the Concerto Italiano conducted by Rinaldo Alessandrini, performing a program entirely dedicated to Claudio Monteverdi on April 27. One of the best string quartets on the international scene, the Cuarteto Casals, will offer a cornerstone of the repertoire such as Beethoven's Quartet op. 130, compared to a page of its predecessor Haydn (April 22). Violinist Francesca Dego returns on March 16 with a solo recital on Bach and Ysäye and a new commission from the Scuola Normale entrusted to composer Virginia Guastella. Norma Winstone, a legendary British singer and one of the most well-known and appreciated jazz performers, will perform alongside the great pianist Glauco Venier in one of the most anticipated events on April 20. A very special occasion will see the music of the composer Manuel De Falla (with the masterpiece El Amor Brujo) combined with that of Spanish popular tradition, in an alternation of cultures created by the Ensemble Suoni Riflessi directed by Mario Ancillotti (May 11).
The season will feature four performances with the Orchestra della Toscana, each featuring their principal conductor Diego Ceretta, who will perform a wide variety of repertoire, alongside highly regarded soloists such as cellist Silvia Chiesa and violinist Alexandra Conunova, soprano Chelsea Zurflüh, and narrator Peppe Servillo. There are also four events of the Scatola Sonora Festival inside the Sala Azzurra of the Scuola Normale, with top-notch performers such as Maria Grazia Bellocchio and Andrea Rebaudengo, the ensemble L'Archicembalo, and Weave4 led by guitarist Francesco Diodati.
As per tradition, the Vincenzo Galilei Choir will close the entire program in June.
Dates and information: https://teatrodipisa.it/
Online tickets: https://www.vivaticket.com/it/venue/teatro-verdi/5402050
