Opening night with the preview of the Ritratti Festival and the Rota Conservatory Orchestra
This year too, Monopoli is preparing to experience a summer dedicated to music and beauty with “Notti sul Sagrato 2025”, the event that transforms the heart of the historic center into a shared space of art and culture. A series of concerts by the Department of Culture, all with free admission, designed to give the city moments of listening and participation in the evocative setting of the parvis of the Cathedral Basilica.
The program will open, as per tradition, with the preview of the Ritratti Festival, on Saturday 21 June at 9:00 pm, on the occasion of the European Music Festival. The protagonist will be the young talent of the Youth Symphony Orchestra of the “Nino Rota” Conservatory of Monopoli, conducted by Michele Nitti, with the participation of pianists Cecilia Airaghi and Ettore Papadia. The program includes music by Berlioz, Poulenc and Bizet, in a concert that aims to be a tribute to the city and an invitation to discover music as a collective good. During the evening, the new edition of the Premio Ritratti – Borsa di studio “Maria Giannulo” will also be announced, dedicated to young talents and to the memory of a historical figure of the Festival.
On June 25, the tone changes, but not the intensity: Sanremoflop arrives, an irreverent and surprising exploration of the “flop” songs of the Sanremo Festival, which here come back to life under the guidance of the Orchestra Sinfonica della Città Metropolitana di Bari. An opportunity to smile and reflect, through symphonic arrangements that restore dignity and new light to often forgotten songs.
On July 10, again at 9:00 pm, it will be the turn of an evocative journey through time with the Orfeo Futuro ensemble, protagonist of the Consort di Fiati Storici concert, organized by the Banda del Vento in collaboration with the Sentieri Armonici association. It will be an opportunity to rediscover the ancient sounds of historical wind instruments, brought back to life in a context of great evocative value.
On July 15, again at 9:00 pm, it will be the turn of Otto di Fiati, a refined musical proposal curated by the Petruzzelli Foundation, which will feature eight exceptional soloists in an evening dedicated to lightness and technical precision, with a brilliant repertoire designed to enhance the versatility of wind instruments.
Celebrating the musical pride of Puglia will be, on July 28, Made in Puglia, again with the Orchestra della Città Metropolitana di Bari. An evening entirely dedicated to authors and singer-songwriters from Puglia, capable of telling the story of our land with authenticity and poetry, in an ideal bridge between popular culture and authorial writing.
The grand finale will be on July 31, with an event with a strong symbolic value: 25 years in marcia per Monopoli, the celebratory concert of the Banda del Giubileo, which is celebrating its first quarter of a century. The evening, starting at 10:00 pm, will be a tribute to the role of musical bands in the social and cultural life of communities, through traditional repertoire, anecdotes and collective memory.
