Cortona is preparing to welcome the XXIII edition of the Sacred Music Festival, scheduled from 27 June to 5 July 2026. The event, now a point of reference in the cultural and spiritual panorama of the area, this year proposes the theme “Sister Peace”, an artistic journey that intertwines music, reflection and spirituality in the name of the Franciscan message.
For nine days the churches and symbolic places of the city will host concerts, celebrations and moments of in-depth study, offering the public an opportunity for art and faith to meet. The festival also fits into the context of the celebrations dedicated to the eighth centenary of Saint Francis, recalling his values of dialogue, fraternity and peace.
The inauguration is scheduled for Saturday 27 June at 9pm in the church of San Domenico with “Tosca in concert – Conversa-Concerto”, an event which will feature one of the most appreciated voices in Italian music. On Sunday 28 June the festival will come alive with the inaugural Holy Mass at the Eremo delle Celle and, in the evening, with the tribute concert dedicated to the music of Ennio Morricone performed by the Quintetto Italiano
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The program will continue with a series of events that cross different repertoires and languages. On Monday 29 June there will be space for “Laudi”, while on Tuesday 30 June the church of Santa Maria Nuova will host “Franciscus vir catholicus”, a journey through antiphons and Franciscan lauds enriched by the bandoneon of Daniele Di Bonaventura. On Wednesday 1 July the Sanctuary of Santa Margherita will be the setting for “Sorella Morte”, dedicated to Franciscan songs.
Among the most anticipated events is the performance of “Missa in tempore belli” by Franz Joseph Haydn, scheduled for Thursday 2 July in the Cathedral of Cortona. On Friday 3 July it will be the turn of “Il Signore ti dia la pace” by Marcello Bronzetti, while on Saturday 4 July the Choir of the Diocese of Rome and the Fideles et Amati Orchestra will stage “A sun was born in the world”, with the artistic direction of Monsignor Marco Frisina. The same evening, in the Cathedral, there will also be space for jazz with “Reflections in Duke”, a tribute to the music of Duke Ellington.
The conclusion of the festival will be marked by some particularly evocative moments: the “Night Prayer” in the Seminary Chapel, the dawn appointment at the Eremo delle Celle and the final Holy Mass in the Cathedral on Sunday 5 July.
All events are free entry. The Sacred Music Festival thus confirms itself as an important opportunity to enhance the artistic and spiritual heritage of Cortona, capable of combining musical quality, tradition and participation in a single path dedicated to the culture of peace.
