Incontri Festival

A festival dedicated to the meeting of the arts

The Incontri Festival is one of Rome's longest-running cultural events. For over twenty-five years, it has blended jazz, contemporary, and ethnic music with poetry, visual arts, cinema, and new technologies. Established in the late 1990s, the festival has built a distinct identity centered on the concept of encounter between different musical genres, cultures, and ethnicities. It takes place in the heart of the capital's historic center, in the Lazio region, typically between November and December.

The artistic direction of Luigi Cinque

The heart and soul of the festival is composer and multi-instrumentalist Luigi Cinque, a leading figure in Italian research music and founder of the Hypertext O'rchestra. Under his guidance, the Incontri Festival offers a true «dramaturgy of the arts,» where soloists from diverse backgrounds—jazz, contemporary music, and ethnic traditions—engage in dialogue on the same stage with poets, visual artists, and scientists.

Venues in the historic center

Events are held in some of Rome's most iconic spaces: the National Museum of Musical Instruments, the Isabella Scelsi Foundation, the Church of Santa Dorotea, and the Basilica of Santa Maria in Aracoeli. Over the years, the festival has also involved La Sapienza University and various cultural centers in the Municipio I district, bringing music into churches, museums, and theaters.

Music, words, and new technologies

Alongside the concerts, the festival dedicates significant space to poetry through the «la parola e le altre» (the word and the others) section, which brings together poets, musicians, writers, and scholars to explore language as the fundamental unit of the arts. The program also features discussions on the relationship between art, science, and artificial intelligence, as well as video art and screenings, in a multidisciplinary journey that looks toward the Mediterranean and world music.

The St. Stephen's Day Concert at Aracoeli

The most anticipated event is the traditional St. Stephen's Day Concert, which closes the festival every December 26th at 11:00 AM in the Basilica of Santa Maria in Aracoeli. Conducted by Luigi Cinque with his Hypertext O'rchestra and international guests, it is an event with a powerful message of peace and dialogue between peoples, which Peter Gabriel once described as «the sacred breath of Rome.»

A free event promoted by Roma Capitale

Organized by MRF 5 S.r.l. and promoted by the Department of Culture of Roma Capitale, the Incontri Festival offers free admission, with reservations recommended. It is a precious opportunity to experience high-profile programming in the city of Rome, where great music meets poetry and visual arts.