Organo Plus (Pontifical Institute of Sacred Music)

Organo Plus: The organ takes center stage on the Aventine

Organo Plus is the autumn organ festival promoted by the Pontifical Institute of Sacred Music (PIMS) in Rome. Each year, between November and December, a series of concerts brings the great organ repertoire to the evocative Abbey Church of Sant'Anselmo on the Aventine, a Benedictine temple overlooking the famous Piazza dei Cavalieri di Malta. The evenings combine music with reflection, as every event is dedicated to a specific musical or spiritual anniversary that shapes the program.

A project by the Pontifical Institute of Sacred Music

Founded by Pope Pius X in 1910, PIMS is the pontifical university dedicated to the study and promotion of sacred music, often referred to as the "music university for the Holy Father." With Organo Plus, the Institute opens its activities to the city, offering the Roman public a precious opportunity to engage with the organ, an instrument that holds a place of honor in the liturgical tradition. The didactic and artistic quality of PIMS ensures benchmark performances, in a constant dialogue between musicological research and live execution.

The 2026 edition anniversaries

The 2026 edition consists of three evenings, each built around a significant anniversary:

• November 20, 2026 — on the 170th anniversary of the passing of Robert Schumann;
• November 27, 2026 — on the 800th anniversary of the passing of Saint Francis of Assisi;
• December 4, 2026 — on the 70th anniversary of the passing of Lorenzo Perosi, one of the greatest Italian composers of sacred music.

The common thread thus links European Romanticism, Franciscan spirituality, and the great Italian Cecilian tradition, in a journey that highlights the diverse facets of the organ repertoire.

The Abbey Church of Sant'Anselmo

The festival takes place in the church of the Primatial Abbey of Sant'Anselmo, built between 1892 and 1900 in Neo-Romanesque style on the Aventine Hill. As the seat of the Benedictine Confederation and the residence of the Abbot Primate, the abbey is known for the monks' Gregorian chant and the atmosphere of silence and beauty within its three naves marked by granite columns. It is an ideal setting for listening to the organ, which finds its natural dimension of contemplation here.

Rome and Lazio: sacred music in the heart of the city

Organo Plus is part of the rich musical calendar of the City of Rome, in the Lazio region, and specifically in the Ripa district, one of the quietest and most fascinating corners of the capital. Just a few steps from the Circus Maximus and the famous "keyhole" of the Priory of Malta, the festival offers residents and visitors an authentic cultural experience, far from mass tourism and close to the spiritual and artistic soul of Benedictine Rome.