Fondazione Pesenti confirms its support for the International Piano Festival of Brescia and Bergamo in 2025. The Festival will take place from April 28 to June 26, 2025, and the Foundation’s sponsorship will be primarily focused on supporting the “education” section of the program.
The Festival enters 2025 on the strength of steady growth, having this year surpassed pre-pandemic numbers: over 1,000 season ticket holders and more than 10,000 tickets sold—a milestone not achieved since 2019. This highly positive outcome is the result of an original and consistently excellent cultural offering, rewarded by an enthusiastic public.
The 62nd edition of the Festival is dedicated to Spain, which, for the first time, takes center stage as the theme of the program. Spain has always held an almost exotic allure for many European composers. In 2025, the Festival will also commemorate the 30th anniversary of the death of Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli, to whom this edition is dedicated.
The program will explore the heart and soul of Spanish piano music through works such as Iberia by Albéniz, Goyescas by Granados, and Noches en los jardines de España (“Nights in the Gardens of Spain”) by Manuel de Falla. These will be complemented by musical “postcards” from composers who, although not directly linked to Spain, evoked its spirit in their work—Tchaikovsky, Rimsky-Korsakov, Liszt, and Debussy—as well as by composers who deeply embraced its atmosphere, such as Ravel, Chopin, and Scarlatti.
The Festival also reaffirms its strong commitment to younger generations, placing youth at the center of numerous cultural, artistic, and educational initiatives. Through widespread outreach—such as concerts in middle schools in partnership with the Politecnico delle Arti—the Festival promotes access to high-quality music and supports students’ cultural development.
A key initiative is the launch of a new three-year project, Uno sguardo al presente (“A Look at the Present”), focused on contemporary piano music and aimed at highlighting the connection between today’s music and tradition. The program actively involves teachers, students, and emerging talents. In addition, a themed competition for secondary school students will be held, named in honor of Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli, and a partnership with the Victor De Sabata Competition will give three under-18 winners the opportunity to perform as part of the Festival’s official lineup.
Fondazione Pesenti is proud to support this cultural commitment, contributing to the dissemination of great music in an open, inclusive, and educational context.
