A month of concerts under the stars, from Gershwin and Tchaikovsky to the music of Harry Potter, in the spectacular setting of the Basilica of Maxentius.

After 47 years, the summer season of the Accademia di Santa Cecilia returns to the Basilica of Maxentius in Rome for a month of concerts under the stars. The music of composers such as Tchaikovsky, Verdi, Gershwin, Mozart and Vivaldi will accompany Roman summer evenings, together with scores by Alexandre Desplat for major film classics including Harry Potter and Little Women.

Also worth noting is the new temporary installation designed by the international studio Alvisi Kirimoto. Carefully integrated into the multifunctional stage, conceived as both a piazza for visitors and a setting for events of various kinds, the new scenography is light and carefully balanced. It was designed to engage with the monumental historical setting through a contemporary yet restrained language, with a semicircular tiered structure accommodating up to 90 orchestral players and a circular element placed in the apse to host 80 chorus members.

The season opens on Thursday, 2 July at 9pm with young pianist Alexander Malofeev in a gala dedicated to Tchaikovsky, featuring the Piano Concerto No. 1 and the Fifth Symphony.

The programme continues on 4 July, when street dance meets the Baroque in Mourad Merzouki’s Dancing Four Seasons. The director and choreographer is joined by Compagnie Käfig and Concert de la Loge, with Julien Chauvin as solo violinist and conductor.

On 9 July, the series pays tribute to great cinema with composer Alexandre Desplat, who will conduct some of his most celebrated soundtracks, including Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, The Grand Budapest Hotel, The Imitation Game, The Queen, The Shape of Water and other films. Over the past twenty years, Desplat has received 11 Academy Award nominations for Best Original Score, winning the coveted statuette for The Grand Budapest Hotel and The Shape of Water.

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On 15 July, Diego Ceretta conducts the Orchestra Nazionale dei Conservatori and the Santa Cecilia Chorus in a tribute to Giuseppe Verdi, featuring choruses, overtures and ballet music from some of his most celebrated operas.

On 17 July, Music Director Daniel Harding will take the podium alongside pianist Stefano Bollani for Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue. The programme also includes Ravel’s Alborada del gracioso and Mussorgsky/Ravel’s Pictures at an Exhibition.

The Massenzio series continues on 21 July with the talent of the very young Martina Meola, winner of the Jeune Chopin 2025, in an evening dedicated to Chopin. The month will close with two further events: Mozart’s Requiem, conducted by Jérémie Rhorer, on 24 July, and Concerto Köln on 29 July, featuring Baroque music by Handel and Vivaldi.

INSPIRATION
Best Summer Festivals in Rome

THE PROGRAMME

La Notte Bianca: Tchaikovsky Gala

Thursday, 2 July 2026 – 9pm

Tchaikovsky, Piano Concerto No. 1 and Symphony No. 5

Orchestra dell’Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia
conductor Manfred Honeck
piano Alexander Malofeev

The Dancing Four Seasons – Hip-Hop Meets Vivaldi

Saturday, 4 July 2026 – 9pm

Compagnie Käfig – Le Concert de la Loge
direction and choreography Mourad Merzouki
solo violin and musical direction Julien Chauvin
lighting design Cécile Trelluyer

The Cinematic World of Alexandre Desplat – Harry Potter and Oscar-Winning Scores

Thursday, 9 July 2026 – 9pm

Orchestra dell’Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia
conductor Alexandre Desplat

Verdi Gala – Choruses, Overtures and Ballet Music from His Most Celebrated Operas

Wednesday, 15 July 2026 – 9pm

Orchestra Nazionale dei Conservatori
Coro dell’Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia
conductor Diego Ceretta

Rhapsody in Blue – Harding feat. Bollani

Friday, 17 July 2026 – 9pm

Orchestra
dell’Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia
conductor Daniel Harding
piano Stefano Bollani

Chopin Nocturne – Mazurkas, Waltzes, Polonaises, Ballades and Nocturnes

Tuesday, 21 July 2026 – 9pm

pianist Martina Meola – “Jeune Chopin 2025” prize winner

Mozart Requiem – The Final Masterpiece

Friday, 24 July 2026 – 9pm

Orchestra and Chorus
of the Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia
conductor Jérémie Rhorer
soprano Mei Gui Zhang – alto Anna Doris Capitelli
tenor Duke Kim – bass Guilhem Worms