Bologna Festival - Great Performers
Great international classical music at the Manzoni Auditorium in Bologna
About Great Performers
The Bologna Festival and the Great Performers season
Founded in 1982, the Bologna Festival is one of the most prestigious musical institutions in Emilia-Romagna and on the entire Italian concert scene. Its flagship section, Grandi Interpreti (Great Performers), gathers some of the most authoritative personalities in world music in the heart of Bologna every spring: great orchestras, legendary conductors, and acclaimed soloists in concert halls worldwide. In 2026, the event celebrates its 45th edition under the title Music Shines.
The 2026 programme
The 2026 Great Performers season is structured into seven concerts, from April 29th to June 10th, all hosted at the Teatro Auditorium Manzoni in Bologna. The evenings open with Sir Simon Rattle leading the Chamber Orchestra of Europe, while the closing is entrusted to the young enthusiasm of the Cuban-European Youth Orchestra. Among the announced protagonists are the Orchestra dell'Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia conducted by Daniel Harding, the Münchener Kammerorchester with pianist Piotr Anderszewski, the Utopia Orchestra led by Teodor Currentzis with violinist Vilde Frang, as well as recitals by Russian pianist Alexander Malofeev and young Sophia Liu.
A tradition of excellence
For over forty years, the Bologna Festival has brought to the Municipality of Bologna the names that have made the history of conducting and concert performance, from Claudio Abbado to Riccardo Muti, from the Berliner Philharmoniker to the London Symphony Orchestra. The Great Performers series is now an eagerly awaited event not only for enthusiasts from Emilia but for audiences who travel to Bologna from all over Italy to hear symphonic and chamber programs built with rigor and international ambition.
The Manzoni Theatre Auditorium
The evenings take place at the Auditorium Manzoni, on Via de' Monari, one of the city's most important concert halls, appreciated for its acoustics and central location just a short walk from Piazza Maggiore. The theatre is the historic home of the Bologna Festival and hosts thousands of spectators every year.
Bologna, city of music
Bologna, the capital of Emilia-Romagna, has been recognized by UNESCO as a Creative City of Music: a title that reflects an intense and layered musical life, of which the Bologna Festival is one of the pillars. Attending a Great Performers concert means experiencing the city in its most cultured dimension, immersed in an atmosphere that combines the great European symphonic tradition with the charm of Bologna's porticoes and squares.
Great Performers — edition 2026
The 2026 edition of the Great Performers series confirms the prestige of the Bologna Festival with seven concerts between late April and early June, all at the Teatro Auditorium Manzoni. The program interweaves great symphonic works, from Brahms to Mahler, and masterpieces of the chamber and concerto repertoire, entrusted to international orchestras, world-renowned conductors, and acclaimed soloists. The season, titled Music Shines, marks the 45th year of the event's activity.
Programme Great Performers 2026
April 29 - Chamber Orchestra of Europe
Opening concert conducted by Sir Simon Rattle. Program includes: Bartók, Music for Strings, Percussion and Celesta; Busoni, Sarabanda from Doktor Faust; Dvořák, Slavonic Dances; Brahms, Symphony No. 4.
May 8 - Orchestra dell'Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia
Conductor Daniel Harding, soprano Christiane Karg. Program includes: Wagner, Prelude and Liebestod from Tristan und Isolde; Mahler, Symphony No. 4.
May 14 - Münchener Kammerorchester
Conductor Florian Donderer, piano Piotr Anderszewski. Program includes: Jessie Montgomery, Strum; Mozart, Concerto K. 491; Brahms, Intermezzi; Prokofiev, Symphony "Classical".
May 20 - Sophia Liu
Piano recital by young Sophia Liu, featuring works by Chopin, Tchaikovsky (Dumka and The Seasons), and Balakirev (Islamey).
May 26 - Orchestra Leonore
Conductor Daniele Giorgi, piano Alexander Malofeev. Program includes: Grieg, Piano Concerto; Tchaikovsky, Symphony No. 6 "Pathétique".
June 4 - Utopia Orchestra
Conductor Teodor Currentzis, violin Vilde Frang. Program includes: Alban Berg, Violin Concerto "To the Memory of an Angel"; Mahler, Symphony No. 1 "Titan".
June 10 - Cuban-European Youth Orchestra and Balthasar Nova
Closing concert conducted by Thomas Hengelbrock, with soprano Kate Lindsey. Program includes: Mozart, Symphony K. 338 and concert aria; Haydn, cantata Berenice che fai?; Beethoven, Symphony No. 7.
Highlights Great Performers 2026
Highlights include: the opening concert on April 29th with Simon Rattle and the Chamber Orchestra of Europe; Mahler's Fourth Symphony conducted by Daniel Harding with the Orchestra of Santa Cecilia (May 8th); and the evening of June 4th with Teodor Currentzis, the Utopia Orchestra, and violinist Vilde Frang performing Berg's Concerto and Mahler's First Symphony.
Prices Great Performers 2026
Practical information — Great Performers
Where
Teatro Auditorium Manzoni, Via de' Monari 1/2, 40121 Bologna. The hall is located in the historic center, a short distance from Piazza Maggiore.
How to get there
By train: from Bologna Centrale station, about a 15-minute walk or a few minutes by bus towards the center. By car: the area is a limited traffic zone (ZTL), so it's best to use the public parking lots in the center. By plane: Bologna Guglielmo Marconi Airport, connected to the center by the Marconi Express people mover.
Tickets
Tickets can be purchased on the official website bolognafestival.it, at the BW Ticket of Bologna Welcome in Piazza Maggiore, and through the Vivaticket and TicketOne circuits. Season subscriptions and reduced rates for young people are available.
Information
Bologna Festival, tel. +39 051 6493397, [email protected].
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Where does it take place — Great Performers
Teatro Auditorium Manzoni
Via de' Monari 1/2, 40121 Bologna