The Great Symphonies

On August 31 at 8:00 PM, Teatro Niccolini hosts The Great Symphonies, a free concert bringing together, under the guidance of Maestro Michel Tabachnik, the young conductors of the Florence Conducting Masterclass and La Filharmonie – Orchestra Filarmonica di Firenze.

A leading figure on the international music scene, Tabachnik returns to Florence after almost twenty years, putting his experience at the service of a new generation of conductors from around the world.

On the stage of Teatro Niccolini, the quality and energy of La Filharmonie meet the talent of the young conductors selected for the Florence Conducting Masterclass, an advanced training program dedicated to the art of orchestral conducting.

The program features works by Beethoven, Brahms, and Verdi, for an evening devoted to the great symphonic repertoire and to the dialogue between the experience of a master and the new generations of conductors.

Free admission. Reservations via email: teatroniccolini@firenzeonstage.com

 

COSPAR OFF – Space Meets Florence

Teatro Niccolini will host COSPAR OFF – Space Meets Florence, a series of three public events dedicated to the new frontiers of contemporary space research.

From the future of observational astrophysics to European space missions, and from gravitational waves to multi-messenger astrophysics, these three evenings will offer the public an opportunity to explore the major themes of cosmic exploration and the scientific challenges that are transforming our understanding of the Universe.

The speakers will include Roberto Ragazzoni, President of the Italian National Institute for Astrophysics (INAF); Andrea Patassa, Italian Air Force test pilot and member of the European Space Agency (ESA) Astronaut Reserve; and Marica Branchesi, astrophysicist at the Gran Sasso Science Institute and one of the world’s leading experts in gravitational-wave astronomy.

Programme

Monday, 3 August 2026 – 9:00 p.m.

Astrophysics from Space: The Global Challenge for the Future

 

with Roberto Ragazzoni, President of INAF

Astrophysics is one of the great frontiers of human knowledge, while also serving as a powerful driver of technological innovation and international cooperation. Together with Roberto Ragazzoni, we will explore the challenges of observing the Universe from both Earth and space, from adaptive optics technologies to the next generation of giant telescopes.

Wednesday, 5 August 2026 – 9:00 p.m.

The Future of Space Exploration

 

with Andrea Patassa, ESA Astronaut Reserve Member

Andrea Patassa, Italian Air Force test pilot and member of the ESA Astronaut Reserve, will share his professional journey and discuss the prospects for future European space missions. An opportunity to gain insight into the work, training, and challenges involved in the next era of space exploration.

Thursday, 6 August 2026 – 9:00 p.m.

Gravitational Waves and Space-Based Multi-Messenger Astrophysics

 

with Marica Branchesi, Astrophysicist, Gran Sasso Science Institute

Marica Branchesi will take the audience into the heart of multi-messenger astrophysics, a new era of research that allows scientists to investigate the most violent phenomena in the cosmos through different types of signals, from gravitational waves to electromagnetic radiation. From the discovery of the landmark event GW170817 to the next generation of space-based observatories, the talk will explore how these advances are reshaping our understanding of the Universe.

Free admission with mandatory reservation: teatroniccolini@firenzeonstage.com

COSPAR OFF – Space Meets Florence

Teatro Niccolini will host COSPAR OFF – Space Meets Florence, a series of three public events dedicated to the new frontiers of contemporary space research.

From the future of observational astrophysics to European space missions, and from gravitational waves to multi-messenger astrophysics, these three evenings will offer the public an opportunity to explore the major themes of cosmic exploration and the scientific challenges that are transforming our understanding of the Universe.

The speakers will include Roberto Ragazzoni, President of the Italian National Institute for Astrophysics (INAF); Andrea Patassa, Italian Air Force test pilot and member of the European Space Agency (ESA) Astronaut Reserve; and Marica Branchesi, astrophysicist at the Gran Sasso Science Institute and one of the world’s leading experts in gravitational-wave astronomy.

Programme

Monday, 3 August 2026 – 9:00 p.m.

Astrophysics from Space: The Global Challenge for the Future

 

with Roberto Ragazzoni, President of INAF

Astrophysics is one of the great frontiers of human knowledge, while also serving as a powerful driver of technological innovation and international cooperation. Together with Roberto Ragazzoni, we will explore the challenges of observing the Universe from both Earth and space, from adaptive optics technologies to the next generation of giant telescopes.

Wednesday, 5 August 2026 – 9:00 p.m.

The Future of Space Exploration

 

with Andrea Patassa, ESA Astronaut Reserve Member

Andrea Patassa, Italian Air Force test pilot and member of the ESA Astronaut Reserve, will share his professional journey and discuss the prospects for future European space missions. An opportunity to gain insight into the work, training, and challenges involved in the next era of space exploration.

Thursday, 6 August 2026 – 9:00 p.m.

Gravitational Waves and Space-Based Multi-Messenger Astrophysics

 

with Marica Branchesi, Astrophysicist, Gran Sasso Science Institute

Marica Branchesi will take the audience into the heart of multi-messenger astrophysics, a new era of research that allows scientists to investigate the most violent phenomena in the cosmos through different types of signals, from gravitational waves to electromagnetic radiation. From the discovery of the landmark event GW170817 to the next generation of space-based observatories, the talk will explore how these advances are reshaping our understanding of the Universe.

Free admission with mandatory reservation: teatroniccolini@firenzeonstage.com

Hayao Miyazaki’s Dreams

This best-selling concert by Mystery Ensemble comes to the magnificent Teatro Niccolini in Florence — the oldest theatre in the city and one of Europe’s earliest modern theatres, a historic venue beautifully restored and full of unique charm — for an unforgettable evening of music!

The Miyazaki Dreams concert is an immersion in the fabulous atmosphere of the films of the world-famous Japanese director and Oscar winner, Hayao Miyazaki. Ensemble Sinfonietta Bern has collected magical music from his anime and compositions inspired by his creations.
The evening programme includes renowned works composed by ingenious Joe Hisaishi, including My Neighbor Totoro, the legendary anime Spirited Away, Howl’s Moving Castle, Laputa: Castle in the Sky and others. The programme also includes works by other composers inspired by Miyazaki’s artwork.
Musical themes will take viewers into famous anime stories’ atmosphere and introduce brave heroines, magical creatures and characters inspired by Japanese folklore.
This concert is presented by the creative agency Red Events & Distribution Ltd., renowned for curating exceptional cultural experiences – whether in historic manor houses, on rooftops, in greenhouses, or other atmospheric venues across Europe, the United Kingdom, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Armenia and beyond. Their repertoire includes candlelit concerts and immersive multi-sensory performances combining music, sound and visual art.

Opening Concert of 2026 Art Way Europe China, China-Italy Cultural Exchange Event

On Friday, July 17, at 7:00 PM, Teatro Niccolini hosts the Opening Concert of the 2026 Art Way Europe-China, China-Italy Cultural Exchange Event, an evening dedicated to cultural dialogue through music.

The concert brings together Chinese and Italian artists in a programme that connects different musical traditions, languages and repertoires. The evening will feature traditional Chinese pieces, performances on guzheng and guqin, works for piano and oboe, and celebrated pages from the Italian and European operatic repertoire, including music by Puccini, Donizetti and Bizet.

Among the participating artists are professors and musicians from major Chinese institutions, including the Central Conservatory of Music, the China Conservatory of Music, Tianjin Conservatory of Music, Wuhan Conservatory of Music and Xinghai Conservatory of Music. The Italian performers include Marco Salvatori, Principal Oboe of the Maggio Musicale Fiorentino Orchestra, soprano Francesca Paoletti, and pianist Riccardo Cecchetti, Artistic Director of the Virtuoso & Belcanto Festival.

The event is organized in collaboration with the Puccini Foundation and the Virtuoso & Belcanto Festival in Lucca.

Admission is free, reservation required by email at teatroniccolini@firenzeonstage.com.

The Night Before the Revolution

On 16 July, Teatro Niccolini will host The Night Before the Revolution., a performance study by CASAE, an artistic collective founded to create contemporary, internationally minded theatre that remains deeply connected to people.

Directed by Matteo De Domenico, with original music and soundscape by Giovanni Sabia, the work emerges from a research process exploring vulnerability, the unspoken, and the human need for connection. Through words, bodies, and movement, it shapes a suspended narrative in which time and space seem to dissolve, while its characters move through desire, fear, memory, and the possibility of redemption.

On stage, solitary figures search for a voice, for connection, for a way to be heard. The stage becomes both a physical and psychological landscape, inhabited by presences that cry out, pray, sing, dance, and attempt to transform their solitude into a collective gesture.

The Night Before the Revolution. marks the conclusion of an artistic residency hosted by FirenzeOnStage at Teatro Niccolini. Rather than a finished production, it is an open showing—a chance to share an evolving creative process with the audience. It offers a rare opportunity to step inside the artistic journey of a company that places research, energy, attentive listening, and a direct relationship with its audience at the heart of its practice.

CASAE is a collective of artists and theatre makers founded by Matteo De Domenico and Gea Dall’Orto with the aim of building an open, international, and collaborative creative community. The company embraces theatre as a space for encounter, experimentation, and dialogue—a theatre that does not speak from above, but seeks new ways of giving voice to what often remains unseen or unspoken.

Credits

Director: Matteo De Domenico
Movement Director: Maya Yoncali
Original Music & Soundscape: Giovanni Sabia
Performers: Gea Dall’Orto, Alessandro Zurlo, Gregorio Guerrini, Caterina Alinari, Rachele Minnucci, Corrado Cervino, Simone Gennaro Maiorano

Information

16 July 2026, 7:30 PM
Teatro Niccolini
Via Ricasoli 3, Florence, Italy

Duration: Approximately 1 hour

Free admission. Reservations are appreciated.

Reservations via WhatsApp: +39 393 128 8306

 

Young Handel in Italy

Young Handel in Italy is a concert by the Modo Antiquo ensemble conducted by Federico Maria Sardelli, featuring soprano Valeria La Grotta, mezzo-soprano Sophie Gallagher, and bass Francesco Masilla as soloists.

The concert forms part of a broader initiative aimed at highlighting the relationship between the German composer and Italy, where Handel stayed on several occasions between 1706 and 1710. On the same day as the concert, the International Handel Society of Florence will be established at the initiative of the School.

The Brain on Stage

To reserve a seat, please send an email to teatroniccolini@firenzeonstage.com including your first name, last name, and the number of seats requested. Reservations will be confirmed by email until all seats are filled. Click here for the full program.

 

On June 26, 2026, the Niccolini Theatre will host the EBRAINS AccelNet Joint Day, a full-day event dedicated to the intersection of neuroscience, meditation, music, dance, and visual arts.

The event is a joint initiative by EBRAINS, the European research infrastructure for brain science, and AccelNet, an international research network focused on the relationship between movement, music, and brain health. Open to the public, the event aims to present scientific research in an accessible, live, and deeply interdisciplinary format.

The afternoon program will focus on mind, consciousness, and meditation, featuring His Eminence Khangser Rinpoche, from the Thangkar Institute, and Professor Marcello Massimini from the University of Milan. A key moment of the program will be a live meditation session led by Lobsang Kunchen, monitored through EEG and biosensors to observe what happens in the body and brain during meditation. The session will be followed by a roundtable discussion bringing together contemplative traditions, neuroscience, and consciousness research.

The evening program will explore the relationship between art, data, and perception. With NeuroRhapsody, the stage will transform into a live neuroconcert: performers’ brain signals will be captured in real time and translated into visualizations, creating a dialogue between music, brain activity, and imagery.

Following this, FLOCK will present a neuroballet performance in which dance, music, and neuroscience converge through EEG systems worn by the dancers. The data collected during movement will be transformed into visual projections, making visible the relationship between body, brain, coordination, and creativity.

A full day designed to bring audiences closer to brain research through an immersive experience where meditation, sound, and movement become tools for observing the mind in real time.

JAZZ CLUB EVENT, ONE NIGHT, ONE THEATER, LOTS OF MUSIC

An evening dedicated to musical fusion and sonic experimentation is scheduled for May 23 at Teatro Niccolini, where the Jazz Club Firenze is organizing a special event featuring two live concerts and a final DJ set. The lineup includes PigProject and Orchestra Abballak, with the night closing with DJ sets by Key.na World Music and Hugolini.

Opening the evening will be PigProject, a duo formed by Giuseppe D’Ambrosio on bass and Emanuele Fiordellisi on drums. The project presents an avant-garde instrumental exploration that combines traditional instruments with electronic manipulation, creating a live performance with a cinematic and hypnotic atmosphere, blending contemporary grooves with vintage rock influences.

Next on stage will be Orchestra Abballak with Balera Infernal, a project that transforms the concert into a dance party inspired by world music traditions. The ensemble brings together musicians from Florence’s jazz and world music scene and offers a repertoire spanning cumbia, swing, bolero, tarantella, mambo, tango, disco dance, mazurka, and forró, creating a collective experience that merges dance and cultural cross-pollination.

Strip Poker – by and starring Sara Bosi

Strip Poker is a performance that questions one of the most used—and most misunderstood—words. It explores that ambiguous space where feeling blurs into possession, compromise becomes habit, and violence disguises itself as a bond.

Two irreconcilable visions of love meet and collide, bringing to light what often remains hidden: how much we are willing to give up, how much we accept without noticing, and how much of ourselves we lose just to stay.

The show shines a spotlight on what we might call “emotional abuse,” too often normalized, and leaves us with an open question: is it really love, or just something we have learned to call by that name?

A contemporary, direct piece of writing that places the audience face to face with themselves.