The Festival della Valle d’Itria has broken records for its 50th anniversary.

The company announced that it had a total of 12,000 audience members which was a 20 percent increase and saw many sold out concerts and operas.

The festival noted from July 14 through August 6 that among the audience it saw an increase in audience members under 30 and under 15, which was a manifestation of the interest of a new audience.

The festival also saw an international audience from Germany, France, England, Russia, China, Brazil, United States Japan, and Israel.

In a statement, Sebastian F. Schwarz, artistic director of the Festival said, “Happy with the complete success of this 50th edition, both with critics and the public. The many sold-out evenings highlight the current relevance of the artistic proposal of the event. I thank everyone, artists and workers, for their tireless dedication to the pursuit of excellence.”

This season the company presented “Norma,” “Aladino e la lampada magica” and “Ariodante” as well as numerous concerts.