Early Music Festival at the National Museum of Musical Instruments

A journey through early music within the museum halls

The Early Music Festival is a well-established highlight of Rome's cultural calendar, hosted in the halls of the National Museum of Musical Instruments, in the heart of the Esquilino district, just a short walk from the Basilica of Santa Croce in Gerusalemme. The event is organized by the Early Music Department of the Santa Cecilia Conservatory in collaboration with the National Museums Directorate of Rome, and features a series of concerts and guided tours dedicated to the repertoire of past centuries.

Concerts and guided tours combined

The festival's success lies in its unique format: each meeting is not just a concert, but a complete experience. Musical performances are preceded or accompanied by guided tours of the museum sections, specifically curated to complement the proposed repertoire. This allows the audience to listen to early music while getting an up-close look at the historical instruments in the collection, understanding their construction, sound, and function. Lutes, bass viols, harpsichords, fortepianos, and vintage wind instruments are brought back to life before the audience.

Protagonists and program

The concerts feature professors and students from the Early Music Department of the Santa Cecilia Conservatory, often joined by industry specialists. The 2026 program runs from late February to late June, with events spread throughout the months. Highlights include paths dedicated to the lute collection and repertoire, performances with historical wind instruments, and thematic tours such as «A Thousand Instruments, Two Thousand Years of History», which explores the museum's entire collection.

The museum and its collection

The National Museum of Musical Instruments houses one of Italy's most important collections of musical instruments, spanning a vast historical period. Hosting an early music festival here restores the historical instruments to their original purpose—producing sound—a value that makes every concert as much a musical experience as a cultural one.

An event in the heart of Rome

Located in the Municipality of Rome, capital of the Lazio region, the Early Music Festival is a precious opportunity for classical and Baroque music lovers, as well as for those wishing to discover a lesser-known museum and a historically rich neighborhood like Esquilino. Admission to the concerts requires a museum entry ticket, with discounts available as per Ministry of Culture regulations.