Easter Festival – Sacred Music in Rome
Great sacred masterpieces in the capital's monumental basilicas, from Holy Week to Pentecost
About Easter Festival
A festival born to make Rome resonate
Founded in 1998 by director and set designer Enrico Castiglione, the Easter Festival is now one of Italy's longest-running and most recognizable sacred music events. Its formula has remained unchanged for nearly thirty years: bringing absolute masterpieces of the sacred repertoire into the basilicas and monumental churches of Rome, transforming every concert into an encounter between architecture, liturgy, and masterful musical interpretation.
The program accompanies the city throughout the Easter season, from the eve of Holy Week to Pentecost Sunday: a span of nearly two months where music marks the spiritual milestones of the Christian calendar, from the solemnity of the Triduum to the light of the Resurrection.
Basilicas as concert halls
The choice of venues is an integral part of the artistic project. The Festival moves through some of the most fascinating churches in the capital, often away from the main tourist paths:
- Basilica of San Crisogono in Trastevere, the traditional home of the inaugural concert;
- Basilica of San Giovanni Battista dei Fiorentini, a Renaissance jewel overlooking the Tiber;
- Basilica of Santi Bonifacio e Alessio on the Aventine Hill, with its medieval frescoes;
- Basilica of Santa Maria sopra Minerva, Rome's only major Gothic church;
- Church of San Marcello al Corso and the Pantheon, where the Easter Monday concert is held every year.
A repertoire spanning the centuries
The programming is not limited to the strictly liturgical repertoire. Alongside Gregorian chant and Renaissance polyphony—with the Motets of Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina traditionally performed during the Easter Triduum—there is space for the great requiem masses of Mozart and Verdi, Pergolesi’s Stabat Mater, the Baroque pages of Vivaldi and Handel, the romanticism of Massenet and Rossini, and even 20th-century composers like Nino Rota and Leonard Bernstein.
A special chapter is dedicated to the organ: for years, the Festival has been carrying out the complete performance of the organ music of Johann Sebastian Bach, a multi-year project that utilizes the historic instruments housed in Roman churches.
Performers and ensembles
The Festival features its own Easter Festival Orchestra and collaborates regularly with local choirs and scholae cantorum, including the Coro Ruggero Giovannelli, the Harmonia Vocalis ensemble, and the Cantoria Nova Romana. Over the years, Italian and international conductors have taken the podium, while solo parts are entrusted to internationally acclaimed singers.
Free admission, a founding principle
One of the most appreciated aspects of the festival is that it is free of charge: all concerts are open to the public without a ticket. Since the capacity of the churches is limited—in some cases only a few hundred seats—it is advisable to arrive well in advance or check the official website for any booking requirements. The main concerts are also streamed online to reach audiences who cannot be present in Rome.
Why it's worth attending
Attending a Verdi Requiem under the vaults of Santa Maria sopra Minerva, or listening to Bach on a historic organ in a downtown church, is an experience that goes beyond a simple concert. The Easter Festival is one of the best opportunities to experience the spiritual and artistic side of Rome away from museum queues, during a time of year when the city is particularly vibrant. The event is held under the patronage of, among others, the Pontifical Commission for the Cultural Heritage of the Church, the Ministry of Culture, Rome Capital, and the Lazio Region.
Easter Festival — edition 2026
The 29th edition
The twenty-ninth consecutive year for the Easter Festival, which in 2026 extended its calendar over nearly two months, from March 28 to May 24. The main theme of the edition was the 800th anniversary of the death of Saint Francis of Assisi, highlighted in several events of the program.
As per tradition, all concerts were held with free admission in the monumental churches and basilicas of Rome, with the main events streamed online. Alongside the great symphonic-choral titles, the Festival continued its multi-year project of performing the complete organ music of Johann Sebastian Bach and the custom of Palestrina's Motets during the Easter Triduum.
Programme Easter Festival 2026
Main concerts
- Saturday, March 28, 8:00 PM – Basilica of San Crisogono (Trastevere) – Inaugural concert: Requiem K. 626 by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. Soprano Leona Peleskova, contralto Laura Chialli, tenor Antonio Sapio, bass Giordano Farina; Coro Ruggero Giovannelli and Harmonia Vocalis; Easter Festival Orchestra conducted by Stefano Sovrani.
- Sunday, March 29, 8:00 PM – Basilica of San Giovanni dei Fiorentini – Palm Sunday concert dedicated to Saint Francis. Narrator Claudio Marchesi, Coro Cantoria Nova Romana and Civitantiqua Ensemble conducted by Annalisa Pellegrini.
- Monday, March 30, 8:00 PM – Basilica of San Giovanni dei Fiorentini – Organ concert In Excelsis Deo with organist Silvano Frontalini: music by Bach, Vivaldi, Chopin, and Schumann.
- Wednesday, April 1, 8:00 PM – Church of San Marcello al Corso – Stabat Mater by Giovanni Battista Pergolesi. Soprano Sarah Agostinelli, mezzo-soprano Lucia Mastromarino, Festival Orchestra.
- Sunday, April 5, 8:00 PM – Basilica of Santi Bonifacio e Alessio (Aventine) – Easter concert dedicated to Saint Francis of Assisi, with the Festival Orchestra, violinist Corrado Stocchi, and harpsichordist Marina Ciubotaru.
- Monday, April 6, 5:10 PM – Pantheon – Traditional Easter Monday concert with instrumentalists and the Choir of the Cappella Musicale del Pantheon conducted by Michele Loda.
- Sunday, May 24, 8:00 PM – Basilica of Santa Maria sopra Minerva – Pentecost concert: Requiem Mass by Giuseppe Verdi. Soprano Kristin Sampson, tenor Dario Di Vietri, mezzo-soprano Irene Molinari; Orchestra, Schola Cantorum, and the Harmonia Vocalis and Ruggero Giovannelli choirs conducted by Claudio Maria Micheli, with the special participation of Mons. Pablo Colino.
Throughout the edition, organ concerts dedicated to the complete Bach cycle and Palestrina's Motets during the Easter Triduum were added, along with works by Vivaldi, Handel, Rossini, Massenet, Nino Rota, and Leonard Bernstein.
Highlights Easter Festival 2026
- Mozart's Requiem at the opening in the Basilica of San Crisogono in Trastevere
- Verdi's Requiem Mass as the Pentecost concert at Santa Maria sopra Minerva
- Pergolesi's Stabat Mater on Holy Wednesday at San Marcello al Corso
- Easter Monday concert at the Pantheon
- Common thread dedicated to the 800th anniversary of the death of Saint Francis of Assisi
- Complete organ works of Bach and Palestrina's Motets during the Triduum
Prices Easter Festival 2026
Practical information — Easter Festival
How to get there
The concert venues are all located in the historic center of Rome and are accessible on foot or by public transport. From Roma Termini and Roma Tiburtina stations, take metro lines A and B; Trastevere (Basilica of San Crisogono) is served by tram 8 and the Roma Trastevere station. The Pantheon and San Marcello al Corso are in a pedestrian area: it is recommended to leave your car in park-and-ride lots and continue by metro.
Tickets
Free admission to all concerts. Seating is limited by the capacity of the churches: it is recommended to arrive at least 30-40 minutes before the start and check the official website to see if reservations are required for specific concerts.
Tips
Most concerts begin at 8:00 PM. Appropriate attire is required inside the churches, and silence must be maintained during performances. Spring evenings can be cool in historic buildings: it is best to bring a light jacket.
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Where does it take place — Easter Festival
Basilica di San Crisogono e altre basiliche monumentali di Roma
Piazza Sidney Sonnino 44, 00153 Roma