For the twelfth consecutive year, the Festival Contaminazioni transforms Frabosa Soprana, a small Piedmontese village in the province of Cuneo, into a widespread artistic laboratory where music, theatre, and imagination meet and contaminate one another.
For nearly a month, the village echoes and transforms: balconies, courtyards, shops, and historic buildings become intimate, diffused stages, crossed by the notes of over 250 musicians from all over the world. This hamlet at the foot of the Ligurian Alps comes alive in every corner, becoming a crossroads for international artists, teachers, and young talents.
From June 28 to July 26, 2026, the Festival presents a rich and wide-ranging calendar that blends entertainment and education. Among the most anticipated events of this edition: the theatrical and musical tale “L’ultimo gigolò”, dedicated to the legendary figure of Porfirio Rubirosa; the ironic and contemporary reinterpretation of I Promessi Sposi (The Betrothed), where author and characters confront each other across the boundaries of time; the literary concert “L’Opera in Noir”, unveiling the dark side of opera; the evocative “Concerto a Sorpresa in Bianco” (White Surprise Concert), now a hallmark event of the Festival; a tribute to Mina with Mille Bolle Blu, featuring Elena Giardina and the ECLETTICA Orchestra; and the intense, never-before-seen portrait of Marilyn Monroe in “Marilyn: i due volti del mito”, marking one hundred years since the diva’s birth.
Alongside these main attractions, family shows, tributes to great Italian music, forays into contemporary art, and moments of pure wonder — such as the magic show Andy Magic — make the program varied and engaging, capable of speaking to diverse audiences.
Parallel to the Festival performances, the Advanced Music Courses take place, drawing young international talents each year who wish to perfect their skills alongside outstanding faculty from institutions such as the Teatro Regio di Torino, the RAI National Symphony Orchestra, Teatro alla Scala in Milan, the Arena di Verona, and numerous Italian and foreign conservatories. These courses add open rehearsals, workshops, and student concerts to the festival schedule.
CONTAMINAZIONI is a festival that blends languages and cultures, combining events performed by great professionals with the contagious passion of thousands of students, actors, and dancers who have enlivened past editions.
Since 2015, the festival has hosted over three thousand musicians, actors, and dancers, more than five hundred teachers from the world’s leading artistic institutions, and over three thousand six hundred students from around the world, across more than three hundred free-admission shows and concerts, with nearly one hundred scholarships awarded.
CONTAMINAZIONI is also a matter of tangible action: through the “Suono per Te” campaign, ESTEMPORANEA supports young talents with scholarships, renewing in 2026 the “Le Borse di Viviana” project — an initiative that combines creativity, sustainability, and real support for education.
The festival is supported by Fondazione Cassa di Risparmio di Cuneo, Fondazione Cassa di Risparmio di Torino, Regione Piemonte, Comune di Frabosa Soprana, Hotel Excelsior, Studio Fieschi e soci, Casa Musicale Merula, Associazione Amici della Musica (Luigi Nono International Competition), and Proloco locali.
Photo credits: FESTIVAL CONTAMINAZIONI 2026
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