Città Sant'Angelo International Organ Festival

A festival dedicated to the King of Instruments

The Città Sant'Angelo International Organ Festival is a musical series held in the town of Città Sant'Angelo, in the province of Pescara, Abruzzo region. Conceived and curated by Maestro Walter D'Arcangelo, the festival offers a cycle of monthly concerts that highlights the historic organ of the Collegiate Church of San Michele Arcangelo, bringing prestigious organists from across Europe to this Abruzzese village.

The format: one concert per month

The festival's structure remains faithful to its original vision: a monthly appointment inside the Collegiate Church, featuring high-profile national and international organists and musical programs focused on organ music, while also embracing vocal and instrumental music that engages with the instrument. Before each concert, brief musical and contextual presentations guide the audience, making the series accessible even to those approaching the organ repertoire for the first time.

Prestigious international organists

Guest artists include names of absolute prominence: Maestro Jan Paradell Solè, organist emeritus of the Sistine Chapel Choir in the Vatican, Maestro Heinz-Peter Koortmann of Krefeld Cathedral, and Maestro Vladimir Matesich, professor at the Frescobaldi Conservatory in Ferrara. Past seasons have also featured organists such as Roman Peruski, Fabio Ciofini, and Giovanni Petrone, testifying to the festival's international reach.

Sacred music and tradition

The repertoire spans the centuries, from the Baroque to the 20th century: from Vivaldi's Stabat Mater to pages by Girolamo Frescobaldi taken from his Fiori Musicali, and compositions by Abruzzese authors such as Nicola Monti, a native of Penne. Some events alternate Gregorian chant with composed or improvised organ music, in a suggestive dialogue between voice and instrument that finds an ideal acoustic and architectural setting in the Collegiate Church.

One of Italy's most beautiful villages

Città Sant'Angelo, included among the most characteristic villages of the Pescara coast, offers festival visitors the chance to discover the medieval historic center, its alleys, noble palaces, and the views that open from the Abruzzo hills toward the Adriatic. The organ series thus becomes part of a journey that combines quality music, religious heritage, and the territory's cultural identity.