Virtuoso & Belcanto Festival

An international festival in the heart of Lucca

The Virtuoso & Belcanto Festival is one of the most prestigious events dedicated to classical music in Tuscany. Established in 2016, every summer it transforms Lucca, the birthplace of Giacomo Puccini, into a meeting point for established performers and young musicians from all over the world. The event combines top-tier concerts, masterclasses, lectures, and study sessions, in a format that blends concert performances with educational opportunities.

The 2026 edition: Music and Peace

The eleventh edition, scheduled from July 21 to August 2, 2026, is themed "Music and Peace": music as a universal language, a tool for dialogue, coexistence, and cultural exchange between peoples. Over forty events will animate Lucca, with extensions to Florence and Pisa, featuring symphonic projects, Baroque rediscoveries, and thematic meetings. The festival also celebrates the centenary of composer György Kurtág's birth and dedicates a focus to the theme "Music and Women".

Great performers and young talents

The program brings together internationally renowned names in piano and orchestral conducting. Announced guests include pianists such as Imogen Cooper, expected at the opening concert with Beethoven and Schubert, Boris Berman, Till Fellner, Wei-Yi Yang, and Joanna MacGregor, who explores the intersections between classical music and folk traditions. Cellist Claudio Bohórquez and conductor Nabil Shehata will headline the closing concert, while maestro Federico Maria Sardelli will lead an ensemble dedicated to the Baroque repertoire. The artist-in-residence for this edition is the young pianist Ruben Micieli.

Venues and atmosphere

Concerts are held in some of the city's most evocative locations: the Real Collegio, the festival's main headquarters, Palazzo Pfanner with its monumental garden, as well as churches and historic spaces scattered within Lucca's famous Renaissance walls. The venues in Florence and Pisa broaden the festival's horizon to other exceptional settings in the province of Lucca and Tuscany.

An open-air music school

• Masterclasses for piano, violin, viola, cello, double bass, and chamber music
• Lectures and thematic meetings open to the public
• Contemporary music section with the Contemporary V&B concerts
• International collaborations with European music academies and institutions

With its balance between artistic excellence and educational vocation, the Virtuoso & Belcanto Festival represents one of the richest and most ambitious summer musical offerings in Tuscany, capable of attracting a public of enthusiasts and music lovers from all over Europe to Lucca.