AngelicA – International Music Festival
The Bologna festival of sonic research and musical avant-garde
About AngelicA
A benchmark for research music
Founded in 1991, AngelicA – International Music Festival is one of Italy's most authoritative events for contemporary music, avant-garde, and sonic research. Organized in Bologna by the Associazione Pierrot Lunaire APS, the festival has built an international network over three decades, connecting composers, improvisers, ensembles, and soloists from all over the world, always prioritizing the quality and radical nature of its offerings over the logic of large-scale events.
The venue: Teatro San Leonardo
The pulsating heart of the event is the Centro di Ricerca Musicale / Teatro San Leonardo, located on Via San Vitale in the historic center of Bologna. It is an intimate space with carefully designed acoustics, ideal for close and attentive listening, far from the dispersal of large arenas. Some concerts are also held in the evocative Basilica di Santa Maria dei Servi, on Strada Maggiore, where music dialogues with the city's sacred architecture.
A program that dares to take risks
AngelicA stands out for its lineup featuring world premieres, European premieres, and Italian premieres: each edition is an opportunity to hear newly composed works, often commissioned by the festival itself. The program ranges from minimalist music to new forms of electronic music, from improvised music to the most rigorous contemporary compositions, including fusions with non-European traditional music, such as gamelan and percussion ensembles.
An international festival in the heart of Emilia-Romagna
While rooted in the Municipality of Bologna and the Province of Bologna, AngelicA has a profoundly international vocation: every year it hosts musicians from about fifteen different countries, from Scotland and Wales to the United States, Australia, Cyprus, Argentina, and Colombia. Bologna, a UNESCO Creative City of Music, finds in this festival one of its most coherent and recognized European cultural strongholds.
Who is AngelicA for
- For lovers of contemporary music and cutting-edge experimentation.
- For those seeking intimate and high-quality listening, away from large commercial festivals.
- For those who want to discover composers and performers rarely featured in Italy.
- For those who wish to experience Bologna from a cultured and less touristy perspective.
With affordably priced tickets and an audience of enthusiasts and the curious, AngelicA remains one of the most authentic experiences for immersing oneself in Italian and European research music.
AngelicA — edition 2026
The 36th edition of AngelicA, titled «Acquaforte», was held from May 5 to 30, 2026, with 15 concerts spread over 12 days. The festival brought together artists from 16 different countries, presenting 8 world premieres, 2 European premieres, 8 Italian premieres, and 2 Italian debuts. The concerts took place mainly at the Centro di Ricerca Musicale / Teatro San Leonardo and the Basilica di Santa Maria dei Servi, confirming AngelicA's role as a laboratory for European research music.
Programme AngelicA 2026
15 concerts over 12 days, starting at 8:30 PM (doors open at 8:00 PM), except for the Piccolo Coro Angelico (7:00 PM). Venues: Centro di Ricerca Musicale / Teatro San Leonardo (Via San Vitale 63) and Basilica di Santa Maria dei Servi (Strada Maggiore 43).
Tuesday, May 5
- 8:30 PM — Brìghde Chaimbeul (Scotland) — «Sunwise», for smallpipes and voice
Wednesday, May 6
- 8:30 PM — William Howard & Howard Skempton (England) — «Chorales and Reflections» (world premiere)
Thursday, May 7
- 8:30 PM — Ekhos Trio + Claudio F. Baroni + Yannis Kyriakides — «Ecological Sonic Memories» (world premiere)
- 8:30 PM — THE TITILLATORS (Canada) — European premiere
Friday, May 8
- 8:30 PM — Kristia Michael (Cyprus/Netherlands) — Morton Feldman's «Three Voices» (Italian premiere)
- 8:30 PM — EVERLOVING (USA) — music by Henry Flynt (European premiere)
Wednesday, May 13
- 8:30 PM — Angharad Davies & Werner Dafeldecker (Wales/Austria) — «Aspheres» (Italian premiere)
- 8:30 PM — Franz Hautzinger & Burkhard Stangl (Austria) — «OYMORA» (Italian premiere)
Friday, May 15
- 8:30 PM — Tristan Perich & Ensemble 0 (USA/France) — «Open Symmetry» (Italian premiere) and new work (world premiere)
Saturday, May 16
- 8:30 PM — Tristan Perich & James McVinnie (USA/England) — «Infinity Gradient» (Italian premiere)
Monday, May 18
- 8:30 PM — Apartment House (England) performs Jürg Frey (Switzerland) — «Clarinet Quintet» (world premiere)
Wednesday, May 20
- 8:30 PM — Blutwurst (Italy, Sweden/Finland) — music by Marja Ahti and Marco Baldini (world premiere)
Tuesday, May 26
- 7:00 PM — Piccolo Coro Angelico — «Momento Saggio» (world premiere)
Friday, May 29
- 8:30 PM — ENSEMBLE NIST-NAH (Australia, France, Colombia, Italy) — gamelan and percussion ensemble
Saturday, May 30
- 8:30 PM — HORSE LORDS (USA) — «Demand to be Taken to Heaven Alive» (Italian premiere)
Highlights AngelicA 2026
- 8 world premieres, 2 European premieres, and 8 Italian premieres.
- Musicians from 16 countries: Argentina, Australia, Austria, Canada, Cyprus, Colombia, Finland, France, Wales, England, Italy, Netherlands, Scotland, United States, Sweden, and Switzerland.
- Morton Feldman's «Three Voices» with Kristia Michael, 25 years after Joan La Barbara's historic performance.
- The double feature with Tristan Perich, including Ensemble 0 and James McVinnie.
- The electrifying finale with HORSE LORDS from the United States.
Prices AngelicA 2026
Practical information — AngelicA
Getting there
The main venue, the Centro di Ricerca Musicale / Teatro San Leonardo, is located at Via San Vitale 63-67, in the historic center of Bologna. It is reachable on foot from Bologna Centrale station (about 15-20 minutes) or by public transport. Those arriving by car can use the city center parking lots, keeping in mind the limited traffic zone (ZTL).
Tickets
Tickets are affordably priced (generally between €2 and €15 per concert, with reductions for students and under-26s) and can be purchased online through the official ticket office or directly at the venue. Advance booking is recommended for the most popular concerts, given the limited capacity of the hall.
Opening hours
Concerts generally start at 8:30 PM, with doors opening at 8:00 PM. It is advisable to arrive in advance.
Contacts
Information can be obtained by calling +39 051 240310 or emailing [email protected].
Festival-goer photos
No photos yet. Share yours!
Share your photos
5 photos max, 5 MB per photo (JPG, PNG, WebP)
Noticed an error or missing information?
Help us keep this listing up to date. Every proposal is verified by our team before publication.
Festival-goer reviews
No rating yet — be the first!
No comments yet. Be the first!
Were you there?
Share your experience with the community.
Where does it take place — AngelicA
Centro di Ricerca Musicale / Teatro San Leonardo
Via San Vitale 63-67, 40125 Bologna