Sorrento Classica Festival

An international festival in the heart of Sorrento

The Sorrento Classica Festival is a classical music series that brings world-class performers and ensembles to Sorrento, in Campania, every year. It is organized by the S.C.S. Società dei Concerti di Sorrento, a non-profit musical and cultural association founded in 2000, under the artistic direction of Maestro Paolo Scibilia, who also serves as the association's president. The event takes place with the support of the Municipality of Sorrento and the patronage of the Campania Region, in collaboration with the local archdiocese and regional tourism boards. In 2025, the festival reached its eighteenth edition, a milestone that makes it one of the longest-running and most recognizable musical events on the Sorrento Peninsula.

Sorrento, the Sorrento Peninsula, and the Metropolitan City of Naples

Sorrento belongs to the Metropolitan City of Naples and overlooks the gulf that bears the same name as the Neapolitan city. It is one of Italy's most famous tourist destinations, but the festival deliberately chooses a different register from mass tourism: evening concerts, intimate venues, affordable tickets, and an audience that blends local residents with Italian and international visitors. September, the month when the series is concentrated, is the time when Sorrento regains a more relaxed pace, with evenings still warm and historical sites finally more accessible.

The venues: the Baroque church of San Paolo and the cloister of San Francesco

The choice of venues is an integral part of the identity of Sorrento Classica. For years, concerts were held in the Cloister of San Francesco, one of the most beloved and photographed corners of the Sorrento historic center, appreciated by organizers for its natural acoustics. In more recent editions, the festival has chosen the Baroque church of San Paolo as its main venue, offering a more intimate setting and sound quality particularly suited to piano, strings, and chamber music. In both cases, the result is the same: listening to music inside a monument, without the mediation of a modern theater.

A repertoire that goes beyond classical music

While remaining anchored to the great repertoire, the festival's programming is intentionally open and not aimed solely at specialists. Alongside piano recitals and violin-piano concerts, there is room for cross-genre experimentation that has become a hallmark of the series over the years:

• solo recitals dedicated to piano classics, from Bach to Chopin;
• chamber concerts with historical instruments and international guest performers;
• film music, with ensembles specializing in great soundtracks;
• crossings between classical and jazz, such as jazz reinterpretations of the Bach repertoire;
• tributes to Italian singer-songwriters, performed by the Sorrento Classica Festival Orchestra together with guest groups.

The Società dei Concerti di Sorrento

Behind the festival is a year-round effort. The Società dei Concerti di Sorrento has set itself the goal of spreading classical music throughout the Sorrento Peninsula and enhancing the area's international cultural image. In addition to Sorrento Classica, the association organizes other series and projects: concerts in local museums, Holy Week events, educational initiatives for schools, Christmas programs, and collaborations with foreign orchestras and institutions. The September festival is therefore the most visible moment of a much broader journey.

A charitable initiative

A feature worth noting is the non-commercial nature of the series: the concerts are organized on a non-profit basis, and the proceeds are donated to charitable causes. This is partly why ticket prices have remained low and accessible, far from the rates of major summer festivals. In some editions, ticket holders can also benefit from discounts at participating local restaurants.

Why it is worth attending

Sorrento Classica is a festival that is heard more than it is shown. No giant stages, no elaborate sets: a church or a cloister, a piano, a few dozen chairs, and a carefully crafted program. For those spending a few days on the peninsula in September, it is the simplest way to connect with the city's cultural life rather than just its postcard image.