Wunderkammer Orchestra – Festival of the Music of Wonders
Pesaro's art music season in historic villas, palaces, and churches
About Wunderkammer Orchestra
A Chamber of Wonders in Pesaro
The Wunderkammer Orchestra is one of the most original musical projects in the Marche region. Born in 2017 in Pesaro from an idea by composer, pianist, and educator Paolo Marzocchi (born in Pesaro in 1971), the association set itself a dual objective: to present art music in places and to audiences where it rarely reaches, and to push the very concept of a chamber orchestra to its limits. The name recalls the Renaissance Wunderkammer, or "cabinets of curiosities," where rare and curious objects were collected: here, the wonders are sounds, encounters between arts, and the historic places of the city.
A City-Wide Season
More than a festival concentrated in a few days, the Wunderkammer Orchestra is a city-wide season that runs throughout the year, with over twenty events spread from January to December. Concerts, meetings, and performances take place in the most evocative locations in the Municipality of Pesaro and its surrounding hills: Villa Vismara Currò with its Santa Maria Garden, Palazzo Gradari (Sala Pallerini), the Teatro Rossini and its Sala della Repubblica, the Cenobio di San Bartolo and Villa Caprile nestled in the Monte San Bartolo Natural Park, the Church of SS. Annunziata, and other historic residences. It's a way to rediscover Pesaro, a city of music and the birthplace of Gioachino Rossini, through a sonic itinerary that is also a journey through the heritage of the Province of Pesaro and Urbino.
Music, Dance, Opera, and Words
The program is intentionally multidisciplinary. Alongside chamber music concerts, featuring international soloists and young talents, there is space for:
- 19th-century historical dance, with the renowned "Gran Ballo dell'Estate" (Grand Summer Ball) curated by the WKO-ADA Dance Division, where ladies and gentlemen dance in costume;
- Masterclasses in bel canto and interpretation, with final concerts open to the public;
- Opera and singing, in dialogue with the great Italian vocal tradition;
- Cultural meetings and book presentations in the "Wunder Library" series, which combine music and words.
Between Classical Repertoire and Contemporary Creation
The common thread of the season, titled Music of Wonders, is the balance between historical repertoire and new creations: from ancient and Baroque music to the great works of the 19th century, through to the 20th century and contemporary languages. The artistic direction is by Paolo Marzocchi, and the musical direction is by Maestro Carlo Tenan. The project is supported by the Municipality of Pesaro and numerous local collaborations, including the Ente Olivieri and the Oliveriani Museums. For the public of the Marche region and for visitors, the Wunderkammer Orchestra offers the opportunity to experience classical music in an intimate and refined atmosphere, far from large concert halls and immersed in the beauty of Pesaro's historic sites.
Wunderkammer Orchestra — edition 2026
The 2026 program of the Wunderkammer Orchestra confirms the formula of the city-wide season: over twenty events spread throughout the year in Pesaro's historic venues. Artistic direction is by Paolo Marzocchi, and musical direction by Maestro Carlo Tenan. The program alternates chamber music concerts with international soloists and young talents, bel canto masterclasses, historical dance, opera, book presentations, and musical conversations.
Programme Wunderkammer Orchestra 2026
Winter and Spring
- January 11 — Casa Padre Damiani: concert with Katerina Chebotova, Alberica Quercetti, and Yurii Kartuzov (students from the Rossini Conservatory).
- February 1 — Sala della Repubblica, Teatro Rossini: "Musical Conversations" with Mario Totaro on Alexander Scriabin.
- March 1, 5:30 PM — Palazzo Gradari (Sala Pallerini): presentation of the book "Wagner, the Singer of Myth" by Adele Boghetich with the Wesendonck Lieder (Agata Bienkowska, Pietro Zuffa).
- March 8, 11:00 AM — Sala della Repubblica, Teatro Rossini: conference "The (Missed) Aspirations of Musical Futurism" with Mario Totaro.
- April 19, 5:30 PM — Villa Vismara Currò (Santa Maria Garden): Alma Napolitano (violin) and Antonio Macaretti (accordion), "Lab-Echoes" project.
- May 10, 9:00 PM — Palazzo Gradari (Sala Pallerini): piano recital by Elisa Maraventano.
Summer
- June 13, 6:30 PM — Villa Vismara Currò: piano recital by Ludovico Falqui Massidda, 19th-century music.
- June 13, 9:00 PM — Villa Vismara Currò: "Gran Ballo dell'Estate" (Grand Summer Ball), 19th-century dances by the WKO-ADA Dance Division.
- June 21, 9:30 PM — Villa Caprile (Monte San Bartolo): Yūgen Quartet with Marco Messa (clarinet), music by Mozart (K.581), Schumann (op.47), and Prokofiev (op.34).
- July 5, 7:00 PM — Cenobio di San Bartolo: "SuMarte" with Arianna Cleri (voice), Marta Celli (Celtic harp), and Massimo Valentini (soprano sax).
- August 28, 9:30 PM — Villa Vismara Currò: opera singing recital, final concert of the Italian bel canto masterclass with Maestro Luca Gorla.
- August 30, 6:00 PM — Cenobio di San Bartolo: Duo Early Bird, Vincent Paul Lindsey-Clark (guitar) and Sharon Williams (harpsichord), Renaissance and Baroque repertoire.
Autumn
- September 26, 5:30 PM — Palazzo Gradari: "Wunder Library," meeting "The First Women Mountaineers and Great Music" with Luigi Ferrari and Linda Cottino.
- October 11, 5:30 PM — Villa Vismara Currò: recital by Nicola Pantani (piano) with Mario Totaro, unpublished pieces from "Sfere."
- October — Church of SS. Annunziata: debut of Hélène Papadopulos (piano) with J.S. Bach's Clavier-Übung.
- Also scheduled, on dates to be determined between September and December: "Festa a Ballo" (Project Caroso 500) with the ensemble Arparla and dancers, a musical conversation on Béla Bartók, and a tribute to György Kurtág on his 100th birthday.
The program is subject to change: please check the official website for dates and venues.
Highlights Wunderkammer Orchestra 2026
Prices Wunderkammer Orchestra 2026
Practical information — Wunderkammer Orchestra
Where
Events take place in various locations within the Municipality of Pesaro (Province of Pesaro and Urbino, Marche region): Villa Vismara Currò, Palazzo Gradari, Teatro Rossini, Cenobio di San Bartolo, Villa Caprile, Church of SS. Annunziata, and other historic residences. It is advisable to check the venue for each event.
How to get there
Pesaro is reachable by train (station on the Bologna–Ancona Adriatic line) and by car via the A14 motorway, Pesaro–Urbino exit. The villas and locations on the Monte San Bartolo hills are easily accessible by car.
Tickets
Full price tickets range from 8 to 20 euros; reduced price for WKO members and their cohabiting family members from 5 to 15 euros; for under 18s and students from 1 to 10 euros. Some events are free admission. Information and reservations: tel. +39 366 6094910, [email protected], www.wunderkammerorchestra.com.
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Where does it take place — Wunderkammer Orchestra
Villa Vismara Currò, Palazzo Gradari, Teatro Rossini e altri luoghi di Pesaro