The 57th edition of the Macerata Opera Festival “100x100Sferisterio” has announced its full slate which will run from July 23 to August 13, 2021.

The festival will follow three irreplaceable elements as guidelines: the health and safety of audience members, artists, and workers; the sustainability and economic feasibility of the opera season; and the technical and artistic quality of the Festival.

This special edition will be inaugurated with a production of Verdi’s “Aida.” Valentina Carrasco will direct the production with Francesco Lanzillotta conducting the “Orchestra Filarmonica Marchigiana.” Maria Teresa Leva sings the title role alongside Luciano Ganci, Veronica Simeoni, and Marco Caria.

Performance Dates: July 23-August 12, 2021

The second opera of the season will be Verdi’s “La Traviata” starring Claudia Pavone, Marco Ciaponi, and Sergio Vitale. Paolo Bortolameolli will conduct the “Orchestra Filarmonica Marchigiana.”

Performance Dates: July 25-August 13, 2021

The opera weekends will include Aperitivi Culturali (Associazione Sferisterio Cultura) organized by Cinzia Maroni, with the participation of journalists and experts who will discuss the issues underlying the season’s program.

The season will also celebrate inclusion with InclusivOpera, project coordinated by Professor Elena Di Giovanni (University of Macerata), in collaboration with Museo Statale Tattile Omero (Ancona), Unione Italia dei Ciechi e degli Ipovedenti (Association for the Blind and Partially Sighted) and Ente Nazionale Sordi (Association for the Deaf and Hard-of-hearing).

The project is both unique and excellent in the field of accessibility: audio descriptions for all opera performances, fully guided tactile and sign-language-interpreted tours as well as live surtitles in Italian and English for all opera performances.

The season will also include dance, musicals and special events.