Assoli - Contemporary Music Festival for Solo Instrument

A series dedicated to the music of today

Assoli is the festival through which the Accademia Filarmonica Romana has supported contemporary musical creation for years, choosing the most essential formula possible: a single instrument, a single performer, on the stage of Sala Casella at Via Flaminia 118, in the Flaminio district of Rome. In 2026, the festival reached the milestone of its tenth edition, confirming itself as one of the most consistent and recognizable fixtures in the contemporary landscape of the Capital and the entire Lazio region.

The format: six Thursday evenings, six instruments

The calendar is spread across the second half of the season, from January to June, with six concerts always scheduled on Thursdays at 8:00 PM. Each evening features a different soloist and a different instrument, allowing the audience to explore vastly different sound families throughout the festival: percussion, harp, flute, viola, cello, and piano. It is a journey that cannot be experienced elsewhere with such systematic focus, revealing the timbral variety of contemporary writing better than any orchestral program.

World premieres and 20th-century repertoire

The hallmark of the festival lies in the dialogue between what the 20th century has already bequeathed to history and what is being born today. Alongside works by Iannis Xenakis, Elliott Carter, and Sofia Gubaidulina, the programs host a high number of new scores: the 2026 edition alone featured sixteen world premieres, almost all signed by young composers, many of whom trained at Roman conservatories. For those writing music in Italy today, Assoli is a real showcase, not just a symbolic one.

Sala Casella, an intimate listening experience

Sala Casella is the historic venue of the Accademia Filarmonica Romana: an intimate space with limited capacity that places the listener just a few meters from the instrument. It is exactly the context that solo music requires, as it allows the audience to perceive the breath, the gesture, and the very noise of the performance—elements that in many contemporary scores are not mere background, but part of the sonic material.

A guide to listening

Each concert is introduced by the festival's artistic director, who presents the pieces on the program and engages in a dialogue with the performer. This choice makes Assoli accessible even to those who do not regularly attend contemporary music concerts: the context, the composer's intentions, and the instrumental techniques are explained before the performance, without excessive technical jargon.

Why it's worth it

• A flat-rate ticket of 11 euros, including pre-sale fees: one of the best value-for-money offers in the Roman music scene.
• The opportunity to hear newly composed music, often at its very first public performance.
• Performers specialized in the contemporary repertoire, active in major Italian and European festivals.
• A venue in the heart of the Flaminio district, a short walk from the Auditorium Parco della Musica and the MAXXI, in one of the city's most vibrant areas for contemporary art.

The Roman context

Rome has a consolidated tradition of concert institutions, but the space reserved for newly composed music remains relatively limited. Assoli occupies this niche with a stable and recognizable program, supported as part of the chamber music season of the Accademia Filarmonica Romana. The festival is part of a cultural ecosystem that includes the festivals and seasons of the Lazio Region, and for many young authors, it represents the first step from a written score to a score performed before an audience.