Over 550 hours of music, 70,000 appearances and more than 40 events in places symbol of Sicily and Calabria: the seventh edition of the Lyric Festival of Stone Theaters, promoted by the Sicilian Lyric Choir and artistically directed by Francesco Costa and chaired by Alberto Munafò Siragusa, ended with great success and record numbers. An edition that has been able to combine lyrical, symphonic and contaminations with original productions, absolute first and a strong vocation for the enhancement of the territory, inclusion and accessibility.
From the spectacular inauguration on the megalites of Argimusco in Montalbano Elicona, celebrating the 800th anniversary of the Cantico delle Creatures, to the final gran gala at the Greek Roman theater of Catania with the international star Anita Rachvelishvili in the role of Carmen, the Festival has crossed Sicily with an impressive billboard: 4 opera titles, 4 symphonic, 2 works of contamination. 250 Orchestra professors, 150 artists of the E150 workers choir. And a parterre of big names in lyric and international music.
“The audience’s response was extraordinary: Sold out repeated, standing ovation, a participation that transformed the ancient stones of our theaters into a single collective breath,” said the artistic director Francesco Costa. “We wanted to offer not only shows, but experiences: from the Aida of Verdi in a critical version, to the Carmina Burana of Orff, from the symphonies of Zimmer and Morricone to the spiritual and musical reinterpretation of Battiato and Dalla, bringing the great music where myth and nature merge”.
Among the places involved, beyond Catania and Montalbano, also the Saline Genna di Marsala, the heights of the Madonie, the Bosco Archiforo of Serra San Bruno for the special Calabrian edition. The Festival thus confirmed not only important cultural event, but also fly for the local tourist economy, with an important induced for accommodation, catering and services.
The president of the Sicilian lyrical choir, Alberto Munafò Siragusa, commented: “A myth that makes music, an emotion that makes living history: the festival has now become a cultural symbol of the Mediterranean. Our identity is expressed in the combination of art, landscape and innovation, restoring citizens unique places and making the work accessible to everyone.”
Not surprisingly, particular attention was paid to inclusion, thanks to the collaboration with the Sicily Association, tourism for all, which guaranteed the simultaneous translation in LIS (Italian Signs language) in various shows, opening the work also to spectators with auditory disabilities.
The closure of the Festival saw Anita Rachvelishvili protagonist, one of the most acclaimed Carmen on the world lyrical scene, in a triumphant gala with the direction of Constantin Rouits, the orchestra in residence of the festival, the Sicilian opera choir and a rich international vocal cast (Eduardo Sandoval, Liu Haoran, Leonora Ilieva, Antonella Arena, Davide Benigno, Alberto, Alberto. Munafò Siragusa, Emanuele Collufio). To embellish the evening, the Spanish Bailadores Javier Moreno Martínez and Isabel Ponce Rodriguez, who gave the Andalusian rhythm a hypnotic scenic presence.
The distinctive element of this edition was the search for a unitary scenic figure: architecture, dance, projections, lights and music have built an immersive and multisensory experience, leading the opera to dialogue with the landscape and the public directly, emotional and contemporary. A season that closes, a story that continues. Already confirmed for 2026, the lyrical festival of the theaters of stone is consolidated as a long -term cultural, social and territorial and territorial project, which affirms Sicily and southern Italy as a lively crossroads between classicism and future.