“Rising from the Arno”

The Accademia del Maggio Musicale Fiorentino commemorates the city’s memory and rebirth

with three extraordinary concerts offered free of charge to the public

Young soloists, the Orchestra and Chorus, and the Children’s Choir of the Accademia del Maggio Musicale Fiorentino, together with a delegation from the Rhode Island Philharmonic Orchestra, will take centre stage over three evenings at the Teatro Niccolini, the Basilica of Santa Maria Novella and the Basilica of Santa Croce, in a commemorative series of concerts organised in collaboration with the American cultural foundation Splendor of Florence.

Florence, 27 October 2026 - Sixty years after the tragic events of 4 November 1966, when the raging waters of the Arno inundated Florence, devastating an immeasurable artistic and human heritage, the city comes together to remember and pay tribute to its own ability to overcome adversity and rise again.

To mark this milestone in the city’s collective memory, the Accademia del Maggio Musicale Fiorentino, in collaboration with the American cultural foundation Splendor of Florence, is presenting the project “Rising from the Arno”. Through three major concert events, the initiative invites audiences to reflect on the importance of remembrance and on a community’s capacity for renewal and rebirth.

The 1966 flood was not merely a natural disaster; it marked a turning point in international civic and cultural consciousness. The loss of human life, the devastation of entire neighbourhoods and the threat posed to Florence’s artistic heritage and bibliographic collections sparked an outpouring of emotion and solidarity around the world.

In those days, music and art were among the principal forms of expression through which the city began to recover. The Teatro del Maggio Musicale Fiorentino, itself severely damaged by the flood, was the first Florentine cultural institution to reopen its doors, on 27 November 1966, presenting Claudio Monteverdi’s L’incoronazione di Poppea.

The three extraordinary concerts, united by a shared artistic, symbolic and cultural thread, are free of charge and open to the entire community.

The first concert will take place on 3 November at 8 p.m. at the Teatro Niccolini. The following two events will be held at two other iconic Florentine landmarks: on 5 November at 7 p.m. at the Basilica of Santa Maria Novella, and on 7 November at the Basilica of Santa Croce.

THE PROGRAMME OF THE THREE CONCERTS

Tuesday, 3 November 2026, at 8 p.m. – Teatro Niccolini
In the Sign of Water

The evening will feature soloists from the Accademia del Maggio Musicale Fiorentino: soprano Vittoria Brugnolo, mezzo-soprano Hinano Yorimitsu, tenor Yukang Zheng and baritone Gonzalo Godoy Sepùlveda, accompanied on the piano by Carlo Manganaro.

An intimate and moving musical journey through some of the most celebrated works in the operatic repertoire, reflecting the richness of the Italian vocal tradition and expressing the city’s artistic rebirth.

Music by: Mozart, Rossini, Donizetti, Offenbach, Saint-Saëns and Korngold.

Admission is free, subject to availability.

Thursday, 5 November 2026, at 7 p.m. – Basilica of Santa Maria Novella
Beyond the Rainbow

The concert will feature the Children’s Choir of the Accademia del Maggio Musicale Fiorentino, conducted by Sara Matteucci, and organist Daniele Dori.

In one of the world’s most renowned basilicas, the voices of the youngest performers will present a programme of spiritual uplift, bringing together sacred music and operatic works. The concert symbolises the continuity of collective memory entrusted to new generations, with the choral performances alternating with works for solo organ.

Music by: Buxtehude, Bach, Fauré, Arlen, Peterson, Spevacek, Hill Cobb, Chilcott and Arnesen.

Admission is free, subject to availability.

Saturday, 7 November 2026, at 9 p.m. – Basilica of Santa Croce
The Great Commemorative Concert: Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s Requiem in D minor, K. 626

The symbolic culmination of the commemorations, organised in collaboration with Opera di Santa Croce, will take place in the very place where Florence’s artistic heritage suffered some of its most devastating losses. Today, following landmark restoration projects, the basilica has also become a symbol of Florence’s courageous rebirth.

The restoration of works such as Cimabue’s Crucifix and Giorgio Vasari’s The Last Supper—initially considered almost impossible undertakings—tells an extraordinary story of love and hope, bearing witness to a commitment to sharing works of universal value with the world.

The concert will feature the soloists, Orchestra and Chorus of the Accademia del Maggio Musicale Fiorentino, joined by the orchestral musicians of the Rhode Island Philharmonic Orchestra in a special guest appearance.

The Accademia’s soloists will be soprano Juana Shtrepi, mezzo-soprano Giulia Alletto, tenor Yukang Zheng and bass Juan Carlos Villalobos Ayala. The concert will be conducted by Ruth Reinhardt.

The performance of Mozart’s unfinished masterpiece will bring together Florentine and American musicians in a powerful collective embrace, celebrating the deep bonds of friendship and transatlantic cultural cooperation. It will stand as an ideal bridge connecting memory, art and collaboration, while looking towards the future.

Admission is free, with advance booking required via www.santacroceopera.it.

The musical commemorations have been organised in close collaboration with Splendor of Florence, the organisation founded and chaired by Joyce Acciaioli Rudge, which for more than twenty-five years has promoted cultural dialogue and institutional relations between Florence and the United States. The organisation embodies the spirit of international solidarity that, in 1966, brought young volunteers from all over the world to Florence. These volunteers went down in history as the “Angels of the Mud” (Angeli del Fango).

The Foundation was established to celebrate Florence’s craftsmanship, culture and historical heritage, and led to the creation of a Sister City Pact between Florence and Providence, Rhode Island.

When the Arno burst its banks on 4 November 1966, inundating Florence’s artistic heritage, citizens and institutions from around the world mobilised to send aid. Among the American cities that played a leading role was Providence, Rhode Island, which had experienced a similar catastrophe in 1954. That year, Hurricane Carol struck the Rhode Island coast, driving ocean waters into the city centre and leaving Providence submerged beneath nearly four metres of water.

In 1967, following the disaster in Florence, the city’s then mayor, Piero Bargellini, travelled to Providence, the hometown of Joyce Acciaioli Rudge, to thank the community for the financial contributions and support it had provided towards the restoration of damaged artworks and books.

This historic connection led to the establishment of a Sister City Pact between the two cities in 1999.

The two regions that the Foundation has sought to bring together share an extraordinary and poignant historical parallel. Through Rising from the Arno, a programme of significant artistic, spiritual and historical importance, Splendor of Florence draws a comparison between two parallel catastrophes: those that struck Providence and Florence.

For further information about the Rising from the Arno initiative and the activities of Splendor of Florence, please visit:

www.splendorofflorence.com