Di Parola in Musica Festival

A festival that tells stories through early music

Di Parola in Musica is a series of narrative concerts conceived and promoted by the ZEBO - Zero Emission Baroque Orchestra, bringing early music played on period instruments to the villages of Lake Maggiore and the Verbano-Cusio-Ossola area. The format is that of the narrative concert: a spoken story accompanies and explains the music, restoring the historical and poetic context of repertoires ranging from the late Middle Ages to the 17th century. In Baveno, in the province of Verbania (Piedmont), the festival finds one of its most evocative settings, among ancient churches, squares overlooking the lake, and the town's cultural spaces.

The 2026 program in Baveno

The 2026 edition offers three Baveno stops spread between summer and early autumn, all starting at 9:00 PM with free admission:

• Sunday, July 26 - San Francesco aulente fiore, a narrative concert in the Parish Church of SS. Gervaso e Protaso and the Baptistery of San Giovanni (in case of bad weather, postponed to Saturday, August 1st).
• Friday, August 7 - Nitida stella: motets, lauds, dances, and ballets from a 17th-century Franciscan codex, in Piazza San Pietro in Oltrefiume, featuring music from the Codex Caioni.
• Saturday, September 12 - D'amore, d'odio e d'altre storie: poetry and the amorous madrigal in the 1600s, at the Nostr@domus Cultural Center.

ZEBO and the repertoire

The ZEBO ensemble brings together musicians specialized in early performance practice and features a variable lineup ranging from violin, viola da gamba, harpsichord, organ, baroque harp, cornetto, trombone, shawm, bassoons, flutes, and voice. The final madrigal on September 12, performed by soprano and bass, recalls the era when - as the ensemble reminds us - "Italy and its language shone throughout Europe" thanks to the recitar cantando style.

A local cultural initiative

Organized by ZEBO in collaboration with the City of Baveno, the festival enhances the musical heritage and historical sites of the town, becoming part of the wider calendar of events that enliven the Piedmontese shore of Lake Maggiore during the summer season. For early music enthusiasts and visitors to the Piedmont region, Di Parola in Musica is the perfect opportunity to hear rare repertoires in fascinating settings, completely free of charge.