The 2026 Sagra Musicale Malatestiana unfolds as a rich and diverse season that transforms Rimini into an international musical hub, weaving together great performers, artistic research, and local heritage.
The heart of the festival is the season of symphonic concerts at the Teatro Galli. The inauguration on Sunday, 30th August, is entrusted to the Münchner Philharmoniker conducted by Lahav Shani, with a programme featuring Shostakovich and Brahms. This is followed on 24th September by the Filarmonica Arturo Toscanini with a journey dedicated to Wagner’s Ring Cycle. On 11th October, the Filarmonica della Scala arrives under the baton of Riccardo Chailly, while on 1st October, the Orchestra dell’Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia hosts pianist Nikolai Lugansky. In autumn, on 1st November, the Orchestra Leonore conducted by Daniele Giorgi performs Bach’s Mass in B minor, and on 9th November, the Chamber Orchestra of Europe, with Antonio Pappano and pianist Alexandre Kantorow, brings the series to a close.
Alongside the major concerts, special projects explore new languages and repertoires: Frammenti che cantano with Ensemble Micrologus evokes the medieval music of the Malatesta court (4 September); Regola, by NicoNote, is inspired by the figure of Hildegard von Bingen (30 September); and The Tempest Songbook intertwines the sounds of Kaija Saariaho and Henry Purcell, creating a bridge between the 17th century and the contemporary era (7 October).
The chamber music programme offers refined itineraries across different epochs: from the Baroque sounds of the Magnifica Baroque Ensemble (5 August) and Bellissima Licori (7 August in Sant'Agata Feltria) - in collaboration with the San Marino International Summer Courses-, to the Quartetto Doré with programmes focused on the "New World" (8 September), and the Accademia Bizantina conducted by Ottavio Dantone dedicated to Vivaldi (13 September). Also highly original is the concert featuring Il Pomo d’Oro and Giovanni Sollima, which draws a connection between Francesco Zappa and Frank Zappa (12 November). Finally, a commemorative concert featuring vocal and instrumental masterpieces, dedicated to the legacy of the late composer and honorary citizen of Rimini, Alfredo Speranza (7 November).
Lecture-concerts highlight Rimini's musical memory, narrating the lives of local figures such as Mario Bianchelli, Maria Rita Brondi, Amintore Galli, Angelica Quadrelli, and other local protagonists, pairing live performances with historical insights.
Great emphasis is placed on new generations in the "Music and Youth" section: Music Week (16 - 31 May) involves schools, the conservatory, and local organisations with widespread concerts and workshops. These are joined by a recital by pianist Daniele Martinelli, 2025 Venice Prize winner (8 November), and Cosmi sonori, performed by the Youth Orchestra and Choir of Rimini.
For dance, the central event is Tchaikovsky’s Sleeping Beauty, performed by the State Ballet of Georgia (Tbilisi) with choreography by Marius Petipa, in the version by Alexey Fadeechev and Nina Ananiashvili (2 December).
The programme is completed by organ concerts, dedicated to sacred repertoire and the city’s heritage, and the contemporary section Percuotere la mente, focused on cross-genre languages. 
To support the listening experience, Parole per la musica (Words for Music) offers meetings with scholars and musicologists to delve deeper into the programmes and composers.