D. Cimarosa Conservatory Music Festival
Music inhabits the city: four days of events across Avellino's iconic landmarks
About Cimarosa Music Festival
When the Conservatory takes to the streets
The Music Festival organized by the Domenico Cimarosa State Conservatory of Music is the event through which the musical institution of Avellino, the capital of the province of the same name in Campania, engages with the city around the summer solstice. For a few days, the classrooms and the Auditorium on Via Circumvallazione are no longer enough: the program spreads across the city's landmarks, which for the occasion become concert halls under the open sky or within the walls of historic palaces.
The guiding idea is both simple and ambitious: to turn the city into one large, widespread stage where music meets history, art, and the life of the community. The title chosen for the 2026 edition, "Music inhabits the city," perfectly captures this vocation.
The festival venues
The festival is organized across a network of locations that define the urban identity of Avellino:
- D. Cimarosa Conservatory — V. Vitale Auditorium, the foyer, and the surrounding area, the beating heart of the event;
- Palazzo Caracciolo — the courtyard of the palace housing the provincial government headquarters, right in the city center;
- State Archives — housed in the monumental complex of the Bourbon Prison, one of the city's most recognizable buildings;
- Prefecture — the representative halls opened to the public for the occasion.
What to listen to
The program spans a wide variety of genres, musical languages, and ensembles, showcasing the breadth of the Conservatory's curriculum. It ranges from string orchestras to chamber quartets, flutes to harps, and mandolins to accordions, as well as unusual ensembles like the tuba ensemble and the cello orchestra. There is also plenty of electronic music and sound design, with electroacoustic performances curated by the dedicated department, while the closing is traditionally entrusted to the jazz department.
Two recurring elements set the rhythm of the days: the Piano Marathon, which accompanies the events with an uninterrupted succession of young pianists, and the concert by the Wind Orchestra, which features over eighty musicians performing outdoors, turning one of the most scenic spots near the Conservatory into a natural theater.
A showcase for young performers
The Music Festival is not a showcase for external guests: the stage belongs to the students. Around 150 students, guided by their teachers, take turns in the various spaces, often joined by the winners of the Cimarosa Prize and the institute's top ensembles. It is the moment when the artistic and educational work of an entire academic year leaves the classrooms to engage with a real audience, with a special focus on the bond between the institution and the Irpinia territory.
The Music Festival in Irpinia
The Conservatory's initiative is part of the national and European Music Festival calendar on June 21st, which in 2026 reached its 32nd edition with the theme "The voice of places." In the same city area, the Superintendency for the provinces of Salerno and Avellino opens the Bourbon Prison Complex with an evening dedicated to ensemble music, confirming how Avellino experiences this recurring event in a choral and widespread manner.
Why it's worth the trip
Those who arrive in Irpinia during these days will find a rare formula: high-quality music with free admission, heard in palaces and courtyards that are normally closed or rarely visited, in a human-scale city where you can walk from one venue to another in just a few minutes. It is also a great excuse to discover the capital and its hinterland, amidst the vineyards of Fiano, Greco di Tufo, and Taurasi, and the villages of the Campanian Apennines.
Cimarosa Music Festival — edition 2026
"Music inhabits the city"
With this title, the Domenico Cimarosa State Conservatory of Music celebrated the 2026 Music Festival, from June 18 to 21, taking its programming out of the classrooms and into the iconic landmarks of Avellino. The project transformed the center into a widespread stage, where music met history, architecture, and the daily life of the Irpinian community.
A choral program
Around 150 students, joined by teachers and the institute's ensembles, brought courtyards, historic halls, and institutional spaces to life. The journey spanned very different genres and ensembles: string orchestras and chamber quartets, flutes, harps, mandolins, and accordions, up to an unprecedented ensemble of twenty tubas and the cello orchestra. There was also ample space for electronic music and sound design, with electroacoustic performances curated by the dedicated department.
The most anticipated moments
The traditional Piano Marathon accompanied all the days, while the concert of the Wind Orchestra, with over eighty musicians, was held in the space in front of the V. Vitale Auditorium foyer, transformed for the occasion into an open-air theater. The event concluded with a concert by the jazz department, dedicated to the International Songbook.
The Music Festival in the city
In the same setting, on June 21, the Superintendency for the provinces of Salerno and Avellino opened the Bourbon Prison Complex, home to the State Archives, from 6:00 PM to 10:00 PM, with a performance at 7:00 PM by the orchestral groups of the "L. Di Prisco" Comprehensive Institute of Fontanarosa, as part of the 32nd national Music Festival dedicated to the theme "The voice of places."
Programme Cimarosa Music Festival 2026
The four days (June 18-21, 2026)
- Piano Marathon — a traditional event that accompanied all days of the festival, featuring a succession of young pianists from the Conservatory.
- Conservatory Wind Orchestra — over eighty musicians in the space in front of the V. Vitale Auditorium foyer.
- Cello Orchestra and string orchestras.
- Mandolin Ensemble, flute ensemble, harps, and accordions.
- Tuba Ensemble — a formation of twenty tubas.
- String quartets and mixed chamber formations.
- Electronic music and sound design — electroacoustic performances by the dedicated department.
- Closing concert of the jazz department — "International Songbook."
- Sunday, June 21, Bourbon Prison Complex (State Archives), 6:00 PM - 10:00 PM — open house by the Superintendency for Salerno and Avellino; 7:00 PM performance by the orchestral groups of the "L. Di Prisco" Comprehensive Institute of Fontanarosa.
Venues
- D. Cimarosa Conservatory, Via Circumvallazione 156
- Palazzo Caracciolo (courtyard)
- State Archives — Bourbon Prison Complex
- Prefecture of Avellino
The schedules for individual events were published on the Conservatory website in the days leading up to the event.
Highlights Cimarosa Music Festival 2026
- The edition title: "Music inhabits the city."
- Around 150 students from the Conservatory performing alongside their teachers.
- The Wind Orchestra concert with over eighty musicians, outdoors in front of the V. Vitale Auditorium foyer.
- The Piano Marathon, the common thread of the four days.
- The ensemble of twenty tubas, one of the most unusual formations on the program.
- The jazz finale with the International Songbook.
- The extraordinary opening of Palazzo Caracciolo, the Prefecture, and the Bourbon Prison as concert halls.
Prices Cimarosa Music Festival 2026
Practical information — Cimarosa Music Festival
How to get there
By car: Take the Avellino Est or Avellino Ovest exit on the Avellino–Salerno motorway junction (A2/A16); from Naples, it is about 60 km along the A16 Naples–Canosa motorway. By train: Avellino station, connected by bus to the Benevento and Salerno stations; many travelers prefer taking the train to Naples and then the bus. By bus: Frequent connections via Air Campania from Naples (Metropark Centrale) and Salerno. By plane: Naples Capodichino Airport, about an hour away by road.
Venues and getting around
The Conservatory is located at Via Circumvallazione 156; Palazzo Caracciolo, the Prefecture, and the State Archives in the Bourbon Prison are all in the city center, reachable on foot in a few minutes. Paid parking is available in the surrounding streets: it is advisable to arrive early on concert evenings.
Admission and bookings
All events are free to attend until all available seats are filled. There is no pre-sale: it is recommended to arrive early, especially for concerts in the Prefecture halls and indoor spaces, which have limited capacity.
Information
Detailed program, schedules, and updates are available on the D. Cimarosa Conservatory website (conservatoriocimarosa.org) and on the Sistema Irpinia portal of the Province of Avellino. Phone: +39 0825 30622.
Tips
Summer evenings are pleasant but breezy: a light jacket is useful for outdoor concerts. Avellino offers a good selection of restaurants and trattorias in the center; for accommodation, you can find facilities in the city and farmhouses (agriturismi) in the nearby towns, ideal for combining music with a visit to the villages and wineries of Irpinia.
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Where does it take place — Cimarosa Music Festival
Conservatorio Statale di Musica "Domenico Cimarosa" e luoghi storici del centro cittadino
Via Circumvallazione 156, 83100 Avellino