URTIcanti Contemporary Music Festival

URTIcanti: Twenty years of contemporary music in Puglia

In the heart of the Bari province, the small town of Cellamare has for years hosted one of the most original events on the Apulian music scene: the URTIcanti Contemporary Music Festival. Promoted by the Diapason Association of Bari, the festival celebrated its twentieth anniversary in 2025, cementing its reputation as a landmark for enthusiasts of contemporary classical music, extraordinary soloists, and internationally acclaimed composers.

A festival spread across Cellamare, Bari, and Monopoli

URTIcanti is a distributed festival that traverses multiple locations and cities. Its scenic heart is the Castello Baronale Caracciolo in Cellamare, but the festival also inhabits the Vallisa Auditorium in Bari and the spaces of the "Gianni Lenoci" Association in Monopoli. In autumn, this geography expands with a chapter dedicated to the relationship between cinema and sound, featuring screenings and performances that push the festival's horizons beyond the concert hall.

Contemporary music and artistic fusion

Born as an act of countercultural experimentation, URTIcanti pursues the fusion of arts and the sharing of sensibilities: a multidisciplinary and multisensory festival where today's music dialogues with visual arts, literature, and electronic research. Each edition pairs concerts with composition masterclasses, electronic improvisation workshops, and world premieres, offering the audience an active and conscious listening experience.

Artistic direction and recognition

The artistic direction is led by Raffaella Ronchi, with musicological coordination by Fiorella Sassanelli. Over the years, the festival has hosted central figures of Italian contemporary music, starting with composer Ivan Fedele, and has built a dense network of collaborations with the Conservatories of Bari, Foggia, and Monopoli, the Academy of Fine Arts of Bari, and other local cultural institutions. The event is supported by the Ministry of Culture, the Puglia Region, and the Municipality of Bari.

Why it's worth attending

In a region rich with traditional food festivals and local feasts, URTIcanti offers a unique and precious experience: the chance to hear live music by contemporary composers and their most refined interpreters in captivating settings like the castle of Cellamare. It is a festival for those who wish to discover the cultured and experimental side of Puglia, far from the beaten tourist path.