Donizetti Opera Festival | Bergamo
The 12th edition of Donizetti Opera runs from 13 to 29 November 2026 in Bergamo, birthplace of the great bel canto composer Gaetano Donizetti, closing on the anniversary of his death. Under Music and Artistic Director Riccardo Frizza, this year's program spotlights Donizetti rarities across three productions: the festival opens with L'esule di Roma, conducted by Antonino Fogliani, followed by the satirical comedy Le convenienze ed inconvenienze teatrali, and Alahor in Granata, presented in a new critical edition rediscovered in a Palermo library in 2023. Performances take place across the festival's two historic venues, the Teatro Donizetti in the lower town and the intimate Teatro Sociale in Bergamo's medieval upper town, with a cast including Paolo Bordogna, Luca Pisaroni, and rising talents from the festival's Bottega Donizetti young artists' program. As the world's leading celebration of bel canto's most prolific master, demand for Bergamo's most sought-after performances runs high — book early to secure your seats.