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| ITALICA NEWS |
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| The cultural and economic impact of an established brand: Pesaro's Rossini Opera Festival and its 47th edition
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| [ Italica ] - On August 23rd, with the Stabat Mater conducted by Ramón Tebar, the curtain came down on the 47th edition of the Rossini Opera Festival (ROF).
At a time of complex challenges, including declining public spending and rising production costs - also affecting the arts sector - the success of the 47th edition of the Rossini Opera Festival in terms of box office receipts and attendance reaffirms the added value of culture not only as a fundamental element of identity and historical memory, but also as an economic asset capable of enhancing the global appeal of the town and surrounding region, fostering development and polycentric tourism while maintaining sustainability.
The Rossini Opera Festival, in fact, confirms its role as a significant multiplier of tourism expenditure in the province of Pesaro-Urbino and the Marche region. Audiences for ROF productions are local, national and international, with 38% of spectators coming from abroad. Attendance was recorded from over 50 countries, with an average length of stay exceeding that of seasonal seaside tourism average and a high propensity for spending, thus generating both direct and indirect revenue for the hotel, food and beverage, trade, and services sectors. Investments in cultural diplomacy through promotional activities and events abroad have had positive impacts both for the festival and for Pesaro and surrounding area. One remarkable example was the presentation of The Barber of Seville in Beijing in a shortened concert version within the framework of the events marking the 55th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Italy and China.
The ROF fonctions as a sustainable creative ecosystem that views culture as an inclusive force in dialogue with the town, implementing a mutual and virtuous exchange that strengthened the event itself, while turning the town of Pesaro - already the 2024 European Capital of Culture - and the surrounding area into a hub of community welfare and social cohesion.
In this sense, this ecosystem has also included urban regeneration strategies. Projects such as the redevelopment of the Scavolini Auditorium and the preservation of the Rossini Theatre have progressively enhanced Pesaro's cultural infrastructure and extended its reach to the surrounding area through initiatives such as the Salons Rossini, a series of concerts performed by students of the Accademia Rossiniana "Alberto Zedda". Over the summer months, these concerts have been performed in historic towns surrounding Pesaro (e.g. Gradara, Carpegna, Mercatello sul Metauro, Montelabbate, Urbino).
Projects such as the Accademia Rossiniana "Alberto Zedda" and the Crescendo per Rossini programme ensure that the Festival is not a model of artistic excellence reserved for a select few, but a deeply rooted reality engaged in dialogue with the wider community and continuously growing and evolving.
Established in 1989, the Accademia Rossiniana "Alberto Zedda", is a highly specialised course for young talents that has trained many interpreters of Rossini's work over the years. The Crescendo per Rossini programme is a project structured around two directions; one, involving school-based projects and, the other, dealing with social initiatives involving third-sector associations. As part of the Crescendo per Rossini programme, for example, school students took part in a series of workshops throughout the academic year and then attended a rehearsal of the opera they were studying, thus having the opportunity to actually see it performed.
This year's edition also effectively advanced the founding vision of the ROF: to serve as a laboratory that continues the Rossini Foundation's work of restoring and enhancing Rossini's cultural heritage through an event that combines culture, research and scientific rigour, while attracting artists, critics and the general public and emphasising the stimulating and innovative potential of art.
The alternation of major historical productions and contemporary reinterpretations is one of the festival's strengths, which each year offers innovation and cultural enrichment, showing the key role of culture as both an asset for identity and an economic driver.
The 47th ROF took place from August 11 to 23, 2026, and opened with Le Siège de Corinthe, a work centred on the tension between the past and modernity, and inviting reflection on our times and on contemporary issues. Conducted by Carlo Rizzi and directed by Davide Livermore, Gioachino Rossini's first French-language opera featured Adrian Sâmpetrean, Matteo Roma, Vasilisa Berzhanskaya, Maxim Mironov, Simón Orfila, Tianxuefei Sun, Giuseppe De Luca and Anna-Doris Capitelli. The ROF programme included L'occasione fa il ladro, directed by Jean-Pierre Ponnelle and conducted by Alessandro Bonato, starring Manuela Amati, Damiana Mizzi, Dave Monaco, Matteo Mancini, Martiniana Antonie, and Giuseppe Toia. Another production was La scala di seta, directed by Damiano Michieletto and conducted by Iván López-Reynoso. The cast included Enrico Iviglia, Hasmik Torosyan, Mara Gaudenzi, Alasdair Kent, Iurii Samoilov and Paolo Bordogna.
Also performed this year was Il viaggio a Reims, entrusted to the voices of artists trained at the Accademia Rossiniana "Alberto Zedda".
The concert programme included the Flórez 30 concert - celebrating the thirtieth anniversary of Juan Diego Flórez's debut at the ROF - Belcanto Concerts and Rossinimania - with the Rossini à Paris concert.
The 47th edition concluded with the Stabat Mater conducted by Ramón Tebar and performed at the Scavolini Auditorium on August 23rd.
The strengthening of international relationships such as the ROF's recent formal entry into the Opera Europa Board has facilitated the attraction of private funding and corporate sponsorships over time, key elements for diversifying revenue sources and strengthening the event's budget.
This year's event, promoted by the Municipality of Pesaro, Intesa Sanpaolo and the Scavolini Foundation, and supported by the Ministry of Culture, the Municipality of Pesaro, the Marche Region, Intesa Sanpaolo, idealista, the Hera Group, Marche Multiservizi, EBWorld, and the Meuccia Severi Foundation, generated 808,000 euros in box-office revenue.
Looking to the future, the Rossini Foundation has already outlined the 48th edition, scheduled for August 12-24, 2027. The inaugural event will be a new production of La donna del lago, conducted by François Lopez-Ferrer and directed by Johannes Erath. This will be followed by a revival of Adina, conducted by George Petrou, and a new production of Tancredi, conducted by Yves Abel and directed by Paul Curran. The programme will close with the Petite messe solennelle, conducted by Francesco Lanzillotta.
High specialisation, artistic diplomacy, the redevelopment and enhancement of facilities and spaces, and social outreach have allowed the Rossini Opera Festival to establish itself as a centre of excellence that goes beyond the town of Pesaro and serves as a model for transforming operatic heritage into a key driver of the Italian cultural economy. [SD - August 25, 2026 - Italica]
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