Sicilian Symphony Orchestra Summer Festival
The open-air symphonic season of the Sicilian Symphony Orchestra Foundation in Palermo
About FOSS Summer Festival
A grand orchestra under the stars of Palermo
The Sicilian Symphony Orchestra Summer Festival is the open-air summer series hosted by the Sicilian Symphony Orchestra Foundation (FOSS), one of the most important symphonic ensembles in Southern Italy. Every year, between June and September, the orchestra leaves the Politeama Garibaldi theater halls to bring classical music to open-air venues in Palermo and numerous locations across Sicily, transforming the grand symphonic season into a popular event accessible to everyone.
Villa Filippina, the new summer home
The summer arena is located in the historic urban park of Villa Filippina, in Piazza San Francesco di Paola, in the heart of Palermo. The space features seating designed for summer evenings, with a theater area and a refreshment zone open from evening until late at night, where you can enjoy aperitifs, snacks, and Sicilian specialties before and after the concerts. Choosing a city park makes the festival a living part of the Palermo summer, blending music, conviviality, and an open-air atmosphere.
A program spanning classical, cinema, and pop
The strength of the Summer Festival lies in the variety of its program, which alternates the great symphonic repertoire with evenings dedicated to film scores, Broadway musicals, and major names in popular music. Alongside Beethoven, Rossini, Dvořák, Tchaikovsky, Mendelssohn, Bellini, and Wagner, the lineup includes:
- film scores, from Indiana Jones to Harry Potter and Star Wars;
- great Broadway musicals, from Chicago to The Phantom of the Opera;
- Spanish zarzuela and Latin rhythms;
- pop music tributes, honoring Whitney Houston and the Beatles;
- exceptional soloists, such as accordionist Richard Galliano and the rare sound of the dulcimer.
From the capital to all of Sicily
The Summer Festival is not just about Palermo: the series takes the orchestra to numerous towns on the island, from Capo d'Orlando to Polizzi Generosa, from Mazara del Vallo to Partanna, and even to the woods of Ficuzza. This is how the Foundation fulfills its mission of spreading musical culture throughout the region, bringing great music to audiences who rarely attend concert halls.
A staple of the Sicilian summer
With dozens of events spread across the entire summer, the Sicilian Symphony Orchestra Summer Festival has become a classic of the cultural life of the capital. It is an opportunity to listen to a high-level professional orchestra in an informal and welcoming setting, under the sky of Palermo, the capital of the Sicilian Region and a city with a deep musical vocation.
FOSS Summer Festival — edition 2026
Summer Festival 2026
The 2026 season kicks off on June 12 at Villa Filippina with conductor Nicolò Jacopo Suppa and the rare sound of Florin Grüter's dulcimer, in a program culminating in Beethoven's Seventh Symphony. It continues with great European symphonies — Rossini, Tchaikovsky's 1812 Overture, and Dvořák's New World Symphony — and event nights dedicated to cinema (Colossal Time: Indiana Jones, Harry Potter, Star Wars), Broadway musicals (Passione Musical), Spanish zarzuela, the accordion of Richard Galliano, and tributes to Whitney Houston and the Beatles. The festival concludes on September 25 at the Politeama Garibaldi with works by Bellini and Wagner.
Programme FOSS Summer Festival 2026
2026 Calendar (main venue Villa Filippina, Palermo)
- June 12 — cond. Nicolò Jacopo Suppa, dulcimer Florin Grüter: concertos for dulcimer and Beethoven's Symphony No. 7
- June 19 — cond. Luigi Piovano: Rossini (The Thieving Magpie), Tchaikovsky (1812), Dvořák (From the New World)
- June 26 — cond. Leonhard Garms: Korngold, Schreker, Casella, Kurt Weill
- July 3 — Passione Musical, cond. Robert Emery with Kerry Ellis and Rob Fowler
- July 10 — Colossal Time, cond. Roberto Molinelli: film scores
- July 17 — cond. Fayçal Karoui, accordion Richard Galliano
- July 31 — zarzuela, cond. Rafael Sánchez-Araña
- August 7 — Unforgettable Whitney Houston, cond. Roberto Molinelli, vocals Belinda Davids
- September 11 — cond. Jure Bučevič: Hérold, Donizetti, de Falla, Mendelssohn
- September 18 — The Beatles in symphonic version, cond. Stefano Seghedoni
- September 25 — Bellini and Wagner, cond. Ville Einar Matvejeff (Politeama Garibaldi)
The festival also includes repeat performances and concerts in other Sicilian locations (Capo d'Orlando, Polizzi Generosa, Mazara del Vallo, Partanna, Ficuzza).
Highlights FOSS Summer Festival 2026
- Inauguration with the rare dulcimer and Beethoven's Seventh
- The accordion of Richard Galliano
- Film scores (Colossal Time)
- Tributes to Whitney Houston and the Beatles
- Operatic finale with Bellini and Wagner at the Politeama
Prices FOSS Summer Festival 2026
Practical information — FOSS Summer Festival
Where
The Palermo concerts are held at Villa Filippina, Piazza San Francesco di Paola 18, in the center of Palermo, well-served by public transport and a short walk from the Politeama. Other concerts in the series take place in various locations across Sicily.
Tickets
Tickets can be purchased online on the Sicilian Symphony Orchestra website and on Vivaticket, or at the Politeama Garibaldi box office (Piazza Ruggero Settimo). Standard repertoire concerts have affordable prices; event nights (musicals, cinema, pop tributes) have slightly higher rates.
Times
Concerts generally start at 9:00 PM. The Villa Filippina refreshment area is open from 7:00 PM.
How to get there
By plane: Palermo "Falcone-Borsellino" Airport. By train: Palermo Central Station. By car: the city center is accessible from the main urban arteries; using public transport for evening travel is recommended.
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Where does it take place — FOSS Summer Festival
Villa Filippina
Piazza San Francesco di Paola 18, 90141 Palermo