Improbabylon - International Organ Festival

The return of the organ to the Santa Cecilia Conservatory

With Improbabylon, the Santa Cecilia Conservatory of Music in Rome places the organ back at the heart of its concert season. This International Organ Festival, debuting in 2026, is conceived and curated by organist Alberto Pavoni, professor of organ at the historic Roman conservatory. The festival takes place in the prestigious Academic Hall on Via dei Greci, in the heart of the capital's historic center, just a short walk from the Spanish Steps.

A program spanning Baroque, symphonic, and contemporary music

The first edition features four Sunday concerts, all at 5:00 PM, from March 15 to May 31, 2026. The program spans from the Baroque repertoire to grand symphonic transcriptions and contemporary musical visions:

• March 15 — «Debite Appropriazioni»: inaugural concert with Claudio Brizi, professor at the Perugia Conservatory, in a journey through transcriptions and reinterpretations, from Mozart (The Magic Flute) to Bach (Concerto in A minor BWV 593 after Vivaldi).
• March 16 — Masterclass «The Harmonium, a very illustrious stranger», dedicated to the history and expressive potential of the harmonium, an instrument popular between the 19th and early 20th centuries and rarely performed today.
• March 29: a recital dedicated to the art of transcription.
• May 24: recital by Daniel Sanmartin Nieto, a young organist who graduated from Alberto Pavoni's class at the Roman conservatory.
• May 31 — «Evoluzioni Estreme»: closing concert with Matteo Helfer, professor at the «A. Scarlatti» Conservatory in Palermo, featuring music by Bach, Franck, the symphonic works of Marco Enrico Bossi, the transcendental virtuosity of Liszt, and the contemporary visions of Jean Guillou.

The instruments: the Tamburini organ and a rare Orgue à Célesta Mustel

The star of the festival is the prestigious Tamburini organ of the Academic Hall. The inaugural concert will also feature a rare 19th-century Orgue à Célesta Mustel, an instrument rarely heard today that produces fascinating timbres and sounds.

An international festival in the heart of Rome

Hosted in the city of Rome, capital of the Lazio Region, Improbabylon aims to bring the rich tonal palette and repertoire of the organ—an instrument too often confined to liturgical spaces—back to the general public. The international scope of the program and the presence of professors and young graduates from various Italian conservatories make this festival a new landmark in Rome's musical life.

Free admission

All concerts offer free admission subject to availability, with no reservation required. For information: [email protected] or the Conservatory Secretariat (tel. +39 06 3609671).