Alexandria Opera Festival — Lyric Concert Under the Stars

A lyric concert under the stars in Casasco

The "Under the Stars" Lyric Concert is the stop that the Alexandria Opera Festival dedicates to the village of Casasco, a tiny municipality of just over a hundred inhabitants perched on the hills of the Alessandria Apennines, in the Province of Alessandria, in the heart of eastern Piedmont. Here, on an early September evening, the great Italian operatic tradition leaves the theaters and takes to the stage outdoors, accompanied by the starry sky that gives the event its name.

A traveling festival for the region

The Alexandria Opera Festival is a series of lyric concerts that crosses the Province of Alessandria, moving from town to town, in both public and private venues: historic courtyards, churches, squares, theaters, and local palaces. The underlying idea is simple and generous: do not ask the public to travel to the big cities, but bring opera directly to the towns, even the smallest villages like Casasco. The Casasco stop is one of the nine events that make up the program, distributed throughout the summer between June and September in towns such as Tortona, Garbagna, Pozzolo Formigaro, Avolasca, Rocchetta Ligure, Viguzzolo, and San Sebastiano Curone.

The Lyricum Association and artistic direction

The festival is conceived and organized by the Lyricum Association, based at the Tenuta Cravina in Torre Garofoli, in the Tortona area. It is led by Maestro Umberto Battegazzore, president of the association and artistic director of the festival, who has turned Tenuta Cravina into a true opera company dedicated to the protection and promotion of classical opera, as well as the training and preparation of new local solo voices. His conviction, repeated at every edition, is that music must return to live in the squares and streets, as a tool for cohesion, attractiveness, and inclusion.

What to expect from the evening

The "Lyric Concert Under the Stars" offers a program of famous opera arias and pages from the great operatic repertoire, performed by the solo voices of the Lyricum company. The outdoor setting, intimate and cozy, enhances the natural acoustics of the village and creates a unique atmosphere, far from the formality of large theaters: the ideal opportunity to listen to opera in an authentic context and to discover Casasco and its hills.

Supporters and patronage

The Alexandria Opera Festival is made possible with the support of the Fondazione Cassa di Risparmio di Alessandria and the Fondazione Uccio Camagna, with the participation and patronage of the local municipalities visited by the festival. It is an event that intertwines culture, local communities, and the region, restoring to opera its popular and shared role.