From October 24 to November 29, 2026, the cello will be in Bergamo for the 20th edition of the Festival Violoncellistico Internazionale Alfredo Piatti, which will be held across six location, all located within the city of Bergamo: Liceo Musicale Paolina Secco Suardo (via Angelo Mai, 8), Biblioteca Civica A. Mai (Piazza Vecchia, 15), Sala Piatti (via S. Salvatore, 6), Daste Bergamo (via Daste e Spalenga, 15), Biblioteca Tiraboschi (via San Bernardino, 74), Ex Chiesa di Sant’Agostino – Aula Magna Università degli Studi di Bergamo (Piazzale Sant’Agostino, 2).
The Festival Violoncellistico Internazionale Alfredo Piatti, born in Bergamo in 2006 as the first Italian festival entirely dedicated to the cello, has—from its very inception—entrusted renowned cellists (such as Antonio Meneses, Giovanni Sollima, David Geringas, Eric-Maria Couturier, Wen-Sinn Yang, Frans Helmerson, Giovanni Gnocchi, Umberto Clerici, and Miriam Prandi) as well as highly promising young performers with the task of presenting to the public the works of Alfredo Piatti, situating them within the broader context of cello repertoire from every era and genre.
In accordance with the wishes of Alfredo Piatti himself, the autographs and editions of his compositions—collected in the invaluable Piatti-Lochis Collection—were donated to the city of Bergamo and are now housed in the Gaetano Donizetti Music Library.
Finally, the Sala Piatti, a wonderful concert hall with perfect acoustics, is dedicated to Alfredo Piatti and serves as the primary location for the Festival’s concerts.
The Festival will open with a lecture featuring musical performances, dedicated to the young musicians of tomorrow: students from the Paolina Secco Suardo Music High School in Bergamo. There will also be three events specifically for young people: a Festival preview at the Angelo Mai Civic Library featuring the promising young concert performer Margherita Succio; a concert dedicated entirely to young composers; and the opening concert, held at Daste Bergamo—a venue highly popular among the city’s youth. This will be followed by four concerts at the main location, Sala Piatti, as well as a lecture on the pedagogical methods of Alfredo Piatti and Guglielmo Quarenghi.
Info: www.alfredopiatti.it – infoalfredopiatti@gmail.com
Artistic direction: Andrea and Ljuba Bergamelli, in collaboration with the Municipality of Bergamo
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CONCERT CALENDAR
Saturday, October 24 – “Paolina Secco Suardo” Music High School
“Alfredo Piatti: From Bergamo to London”
A lecture featuring musical performances, exclusively for students of the high school. Musicologist Annalisa Barzanò and cellist Margherita Succio kick off the twentieth-anniversary celebrations with an event dedicated to the students of this Bergamo-based music high school.
Sunday, October 25 – Angelo Mai Civic Library – 11:00 AM
“Capriccioso”
A preview event: “A Tribute to Antonio Meneses.” Cellist and baroque cellist Margherita Succio—a student of the late Antonio Meneses, to whom this concert is dedicated—pays homage to the great master and honorary president of the Alfredo Piatti Association. The program spans works by Piatti, Hume, Dall’Abaco, Berio, Penderecki, Lutosławski, and Saariaho.
Tuesday, October 27 – Sala Piatti – 6:00 PM
“Contemporary Cello”
A showcase for young composers. In collaboration with the Politecnico delle Arti di Bergamo, cellists Elide Sulsenti and Antonio Pellegrino, accompanied by pianist Flavia Salemme, explore the contemporary repertoire, featuring works written specifically for the occasion by students from the composition class.
Sunday, November 1 – Daste Bergamo – 4:30 PM
“Bach & Scarlatti”
Inauguration of the 20th edition. Miriam Prandi, cello and piano. One of the most compelling performers of her generation—who recently released her debut solo album, dedicated to Bach’s Suites—will move seamlessly between the cello and the piano, bringing two giants of the Baroque and Classical tradition into dialogue.
Sunday, November 8 – Sala Piatti – 4:30 PM
“Ressonância”
Sandro Meszaros (cello) and Richard Kogima (piano)—among the most brilliant representatives of their generation—present a program featuring works by Piatti, Franck, and Rachmaninov.
Sunday, November 15, 2026 – Sala Piatti – 4:30 PM
“Out of the Mist”
The English duo—comprising acclaimed composer and soprano Héloïse Werner (likened by *The Times* to a modern-day Cathy Berberian, and herself trained as a cellist before turning to singing) and cellist-composer Colin Alexander—will present a program featuring their own original works, alongside pieces by Pinel, Piatti, Leith, and Hildegard von Bingen.
Saturday, November 21 – Tiraboschi Library – 4:00 PM
“Alfredo Piatti and Guglielmo Quarenghi: A Method”
A lecture featuring musical interludes, presented by Fernando Caida Greco, exploring the relationship between Alfredo Piatti and Guglielmo Quarenghi and their contributions to cello pedagogy.
Sunday, November 22 – Sala Piatti – 4:30 PM
“The Cello: Yesterday and Today”
Featuring cellist Fernando Caida Greco and vocalist Ljuba Bergamelli, alongside conductor Pasquale Corrado and the Syntax Ensemble, the program weaves together the music of Piatti with the contemporary musical languages of Fedele, Turi, Corrales, and Ferreira-Lopes.
Sunday, November 29 – Former Church of Sant’Agostino – Aula Magna, University of Bergamo – 4:30 PM
“Kaleidoscopic Cello”
Natalie Clein—a cellist awarded an OBE for her musical achievements and one of the most accomplished British cellists of her generation—brings the Festival’s twentieth anniversary to a close with a program featuring works by Bach, Piatti, and Kodály.
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