The Trentino Music Festival returns this year, one of the most significant European programs dedicated to training and international music production, capable of combining high-level education and live performance in a unique landscape context.
The Festival is led by a globally recognized artistic direction: Mitchell Piper (Executive Director), Robin Blauers Piper (Artistic Director), and the musical director M° J. David Jackson. The Festival is organized in collaboration with Mezzano Romantica, under the artistic direction of Francesco Schweizer.
For over 5 weeks, from June 15 to August 1, the territory of Primiero - with the villages of Mezzano, Primiero, Imèr, and Canal San Bovo - will transform into a large widespread stage, hosting students and teachers from all over the world. Young artists alongside internationally renowned professionals will work daily on opera productions, symphonic concerts, and musicals, offering the public a rich and varied program.
The program includes important lyric operas, with complete productions entrusted to internationally renowned conductors and directors: Così fan tutte by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (conducted by J. David Jackson, directed by David Gately), Don Giovanni by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (conducted by Neal Goren, directed by Jose Maria Condemi), Die Zauberflöte by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (conducted by Rakefet Hak, directed by Corey Trahan), and The Turn of the Screw by Benjamin Britten (conducted by Arthur Fagen, directed by Robin Blauers).
Among the most anticipated events, the Festival dedicates a prominent space to musical theater with two productions of extraordinary impact, capable of combining scenic energy, dramatic depth, and strong relevance.
Jesus Christ Superstar, the rock masterpiece by Andrew Lloyd Webber, returns to the stage in an intense and engaging production that captures the narrative and musical strength of one of the most iconic musicals of the twentieth century. With its overwhelming score and powerful dramaturgy, the show restores all the modernity of a work that continues to speak to contemporary audiences, thanks to a direct language and an emotionally impactful experience.
Alongside this title, the Festival presents Cabaret, the famous musical adapted from a novel by Christopher Isherwood with music by John Kander set in 1930s Berlin, in a staging that highlights its provocative and deeply relevant character. Amid decadent atmospheres and social tensions, Cabaret reveals itself as a work of extraordinary theatrical intensity, capable of uniting entertainment and reflection, music and civil engagement, in a rare and captivating balance.
Two highly attractive productions that perfectly represent the spirit of the Trentino Music Festival: to unite artistic quality, performative energy, and the ability to speak to the present.
The heart of the artistic activity is the Festival Orchestra, a protagonist in symphonic concerts conducted by prestigious international conductors and built around highly appealing programs that traverse the European repertoire between classicism and romanticism.
The first program, conducted by Arthur Fagen, proposes a path of strong expressive impact that pairs the theatrical energy of the Overture from Il barbiere di Siviglia by Rossini with the intimate and lyrical dimension of Wagner's Siegfried Idyll, concluding with the brilliance and formal balance of Haydn's Symphony No. 104.
The second program, under the direction of J. David Jackson, offers a rich and articulated itinerary, from the fairy-tale suggestions of the stage music for A Midsummer Night's Dream by Mendelssohn to the color and rhythm of Brahms' Hungarian Dances, to the elegance of Schubert's "All'italiana" Overture and the symphonic strength of Beethoven's Symphony No. 8.
Two programs that highlight the versatility of the Festival Orchestra and its ability to tackle with quality and interpretative enthusiasm fundamental pages of the great symphonic repertoire.
Further enriching the multidisciplinary offerings of the Festival, the Dance Performance Studio confirms itself as an international excellence for ballet and contemporary dance. Under the artistic direction of Stephen Pier (formerly of Juilliard and Hamburg Ballet), young talents from all over the world work closely with choreographers of the caliber of Norbert De La Cruz III. A strong point of this section is the fusion between choreographic gesture and live music: the final performances will see the dancers on stage accompanied by the Festival Orchestra conducted by M° J. David Jackson, creating an artistic combination of extraordinary visual and auditory power.
Special Event: Gala Concert on July 12
A particularly significant moment will be the concert on July 12, conceived as a grand gala event destined to become a fixed appointment for future editions. The concert, scheduled to take place in the Church of Mezzano and followed by an exclusive reception, will feature internationally renowned artists.
The protagonists will be tenor Dimitri Pittas and soprano Marian Costa Jackson, stars of the Metropolitan Opera, alongside two international baritones recently awarded in Verona. The involved artists boast collaborations with the most prestigious lyrical institutions, including the Metropolitan Opera, Opéra de Paris, Teatro alla Scala, Teatro La Fenice, and Royal Opera House.
The event will also offer an opportunity to meet representatives from important Italian and European music institutions, strengthening the role of the Festival as a platform for international dialogue.
Timetable
