Villa Sonora - Improvisation Festival

Villa Sonora: Improvisation at Villa Medici

Villa Sonora is a series dedicated to improvisation and experimental music that comes to life within the spaces of Villa Medici, the historic seat of the French Academy in Rome, in the heart of the Lazio region. For one evening only, the Villa's gardens and architecture are transformed into a vast listening space: a constellation of concerts explores generative music, electronics, modal and contemporary improvisation, noise, and multiple hybrid practices that combine traditional instruments, electronic devices, and mixed systems.

The event is not merely a concert, but an immersive experience: sound drifts through the greenery, inhabits the Renaissance architecture, and reveals new perceptual possibilities. The audience is invited to move, linger, and let themselves be guided by the listening experience, in a continuous dialogue between the musicians and the venue.

A project by the French Academy fellows

Villa Sonora was born from the imagination of four fellows from the 2025-2026 edition of the French Academy in Rome: Farnaz Modarresifar, Enrique Ramírez, Ben Russell, and Giulia Lorusso. Each year, the residents of Villa Medici—artists and researchers from diverse disciplines—create projects that engage with the history and spaces of the Villa. Villa Sonora is one such project, an invitation to discover the international scene of improvised and experimental music.

On stage, the fellows are joined by guest artists for a series of duos and trios that weave together the santur, modular synthesizers, guitars, trumpet, no-input electronics, and drums. The result is a sonic journey that shifts from the delicacy of electroacoustics to the density of noise, without ever losing the spirit of shared improvisation.

Villa Medici: A unique landmark on the Pincio

Built in the 16th century and overlooking the Pincio Hill, Villa Medici dominates Rome with its famous facade facing the gardens and a seven-hectare park next to the Trinità dei Monti church, just steps from the Spanish Steps. Home to the French Academy in Rome since 1803, the Villa is now a vibrant center for artistic creation, exhibitions, concerts, and residencies. Listening to improvised music among its paths, fountains, and architecture adds a landscape and historical dimension to the experience that is hard to match.

Rome, Lazio, and experimental music

Villa Sonora is part of the rich summer season of cultural events in Rome and the Lazio region, offering a refined and intriguing alternative to more traditional offerings. It is an appointment designed for enthusiasts of contemporary music, electronics, and improvisation, as well as for those wishing to experience Villa Medici in an unprecedented, nocturnal, and sonic guise, in one of the capital's most celebrated settings.