Spring Festival
The choral, opera, and symphonic music review of Ascoli Piceno
About Spring Festival
A festival dedicated to choral singing in the heart of Piceno
The Spring Festival is the major review of choral, opera, and symphonic music that every year, between March and May, enlivens Ascoli Piceno and its province. Promoted by the Associazione Coro Ventidio Basso in collaboration with the Municipality of Ascoli Piceno, the festival presents for several weeks symphonic-choral concerts, staged operas, and sacred music evenings, transforming the city's historic center into a widespread stage. It is one of the most anticipated cultural events of the season in the Marche region, capable of attracting choirs, orchestras, and soloists from all over Italy.
The Ventidio Basso Theatre and the churches of the historic center
The beating heart of the event is the historic Ventidio Basso Theatre, an 19th-century gem of Ascoli Piceno, where the most important evenings take place, from symphonic-choral cantatas to staged operas with direction, sets, and costumes. Alongside the theatre, the festival also brings music to the churches in the center, such as the Church of Saints Vincenzo and Anastasio, where the great tradition of Baroque sacred music finds a setting of rare charm. This alternation between Italian-style theatre and sacred spaces is one of the distinctive features of the review.
Between sacred, symphonic-choral, and opera music
The program for each edition is built on multiple registers: from the imposing symphonic-choral works of the Romantic and Baroque repertoire to the great titles of Italian melodrama. Renowned ensembles perform on stage, such as the Coro del Teatro Ventidio Basso, choirs and orchestras from conservatories and academies, with the participation of numerous soloists. It is not uncommon to see hundreds of artists gathered for a single evening, testifying to the festival's choral and community vocation.
A cultural heritage for Ascoli and the Marche
More than just a concert season, the Spring Festival has become a true identity heritage for Ascoli Piceno over the years: an opportunity to promote the practice of choral singing, support young local musicians, and offer the public high-level performances, often of rare works seldom performed in Italian theatres. For those visiting the Piceno region in spring, attending a festival evening means connecting with the musical soul and the great cultural tradition of this city in the Marche region.
Spring Festival — edition 2026
The 2026 edition of the Spring Festival, promoted by the Associazione Coro Ventidio Basso with the Municipality of Ascoli Piceno, featured its program between the Ventidio Basso Theatre and the churches of the historic center, from March 23 to May 17. The program combined great symphonic-choral works from the Romantic repertoire, Italian opera, and Baroque sacred music, with the participation of choirs, orchestras, and numerous soloists.
Highlights included the performance of Mendelssohn's rare Lobgesang to open the festival, a staging of Pietro Mascagni's Cavalleria Rusticana, and the Baroque concert featuring a double Magnificat by Antonio Vivaldi and Francesco Durante. A season that confirmed the choral vocation and artistic quality of the Ascoli review.
Programme Spring Festival 2026
Monday, March 23, 2026 — Teatro Ventidio Basso, 9:00 PM
Lobgesang Op. 52 by Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy, a symphony-cantata for soloists, choir, and orchestra, rarely performed in Italian theaters. Featuring the Coro del Teatro Ventidio Basso, the Choir of the Conservatory "L. D'Annunzio" of Pescara, and the Choir and Symphony Orchestra of the Conservatory "L. D'Annunzio" of Pescara, conducted by Maestro Pasquale Veleno. Soloists: Francesca Paola Geretto (soprano), Valentina Corradetti (soprano), Gian Luca Pasolini (tenor).
Sunday, April 12, 2026 — Teatro Ventidio Basso
L'Elisir d'Amore by Gaetano Donizetti, an opera programmed as part of the festival.
Wednesday, May 13, 2026 — Teatro Ventidio Basso, 9:00 PM
Cavalleria Rusticana by Pietro Mascagni. Directed by Roberta Ceccotti, musical direction by Maestro Mario Menicagli with the Orchestra del Teatro Goldoni of Livorno "Massimo de Bernart" and the Coro del Teatro Ventidio Basso; sets by Orfeo inScena. Cast: Marco Miglietta (Turiddu), Anna Pennisi (Santuzza), Gianmarco Durante (Alfio), Noemi Umani (Lola), Diana Turtoi (Mamma Lucia).
Sunday, May 17, 2026 — Church of Saints Vincenzo and Anastasio, 6:00 PM
Concert MAGNIFICAT — Vivaldi & Durante: the Magnificat in G minor RV 610 by Antonio Vivaldi and the Magnificat in B-flat major by Francesco Durante, two complementary visions of the same sacred text. Featuring the Coro del Teatro Ventidio Basso and the Benedetto Marcello Chamber Orchestra, conducted by Maestro Pasquale Veleno. Soloists: Silvia Ottaviani, Debora Simonetti, Federica Ciotti (sopranos), Roberta Sollazzo (contralto), Gianmarco Ripa (tenor), Carlo Bonelli (bass). Free admission.
The program concluded with a final concert of opera arias.
Highlights Spring Festival 2026
- Mendelssohn's rare Lobgesang to open, with three choirs united on stage
- The staging of Mascagni's Cavalleria Rusticana at the Ventidio Basso Theatre
- The Baroque concert Magnificat — Vivaldi & Durante with free admission in the church
Prices Spring Festival 2026
Practical information — Spring Festival
Where
The main evenings take place at the Teatro Ventidio Basso (Via del Trivio, historic center of Ascoli Piceno); some sacred music concerts are held in the churches of the center, such as the Church of Saints Vincenzo and Anastasio.
How to get there
Ascoli Piceno is reachable by car from the A14 (Ascoli-San Benedetto del Tronto exit) and the Ascoli-Mare dual carriageway. Ascoli Piceno train station is connected to the Adriatic line via Porto d'Ascoli. The historic center is largely pedestrianized, with parking available in the surrounding areas.
Tickets
Tickets for theatre performances are on sale at the Teatro Ventidio Basso ticket office and online on VivaTicket. Some sacred music concerts have free admission. It is advisable to check prices and availability for each evening.
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Where does it take place — Spring Festival
Teatro Ventidio Basso
Via del Trivio 41, 63100 Ascoli Piceno