From 17 July to 9 August 2026, a programme combining major titles, special projects and activities for different audiences, transforming the Festival into a shared experience that spans the city.
The Macerata Opera Festival 2026 places the audience, the Sferisterio and the pleasure of live music at the centre of attention. The programme combines great titles from the opera repertoire with projects dedicated to different audiences, restoring opera to its most authentic value: bringing people together.
Three operas and a special event form the heart of the season, creating a journey that crosses different languages and emotions, united by the power of singing, of the choir and audience participation. The Sferisterio in Macerata thus becomes not only a stage, but a place for interaction, capable of welcoming spectators of all ages and backgrounds.
Alongside the main programme, the Festival opens up to the city and the community through projects dedicated to families, schools and people with disabilities, extending the opera experience beyond the evening of the performance and strengthening the bond between the Festival and its territory.
Preview Under 30: Tuesday 14 July
Friday, 17 July and Sunday, 26 July
Saturday, 1 August and Sunday, 9 August
Arena Sferisterio, 9.00 pm
Director Paul-Émile Fourny
Conductor Fabrizio Maria Carminati
Preview Under 30: Wednesday 15 July
Saturday, 18 July and Friday, 24 July
Sunday, 2 August and Saturday, 8 August
Arena Sferisterio, 9.00 pm
Director Daniele Menghini
Conductor Gianluca Martinenghi
Preview Under 30: Thursday 16 July
Sunday, 19 July; Saturday, 25 July
Friday, 31 July
Arena Sferisterio, 9.00 pm
Director Francisco Negrin
Conductor Dmitri Jurowski
A Festival open to the city
Alongside the main programme, the Macerata Opera Festival develops a series of activities that broaden the Sferisterio experience and reinforce its role as an open and shared cultural space.
The choice of highly recognisable titles from the opera repertoire is also part of this vision: an invitation to active listening and an experience capable of speaking to different audiences, encouraging encounters between regular spectators and new audiences.
Projects such as InclusivOpera and initiatives dedicated to children and families are part of the same artistic approach that animates the Festival: an idea of opera capable of overcoming physical and cognitive barriers, creating opportunities for engagement and making music a truly accessible experience.
Opening the doors of the Sferisterio means offering multiple ways to access opera and music, respecting everyone’s differences and sensibilities, so that the Festival experience can truly be enjoyed by all.
The program book is now available for pre-order
Starting today, the program books for the 2026 Macerata Opera Festival are available for pre-order, both online and at the Macerata Theater Box Office!
You can purchase them directly along with your ticket and pick them up on the evening of the performance at the Sferisterio, without waiting.
The program is much more than just a simple guide: it is a resource for deeper understanding that accompanies the audience through every production on the season’s program, offering insights into the opera, the directorial and musical choices, as well as the complete libretto.
Enriching the volume are images by Christian Tasso, the Festival’s official photographer, a native of Macerata and an internationally recognized artist for his documentary projects. After chronicling the world through his lens, today his vision captures the Festival’s visual identity and extends its narrative beyond the stage.
A way to take home not only the memory of the evening, but also a deeper insight into the experience.
