25.09.2026 | Concert
October brings a packed calendar of ECM-related events to Italy, spanning historic festivals, new programmes, and premiere concerts.
Opening the season is Bergamo, where the twentieth edition of Contaminazioni Contemporanee runs from October 1 to 3. The programme opens on Thursday, October 1 with Evgueni Galperine, joined by saxophonist Sylvain Rifflet, at the Cult! Auditorium; on Friday, October 2 at the Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore it’s Anouar Brahem’s turn, with Anja Lechner on cello, Django Bates on piano, and Mats Eilertsen on double bass; and on Saturday, October 3, also at the Basilica, the Duo Gazzana (Raffaella and Natascia Gazzana) close things out with a concert dedicated to the festival’s twentieth anniversary. Marking the anniversary edition, a photography exhibition by Luciano Rossetti, curated by Alessandro Bettonagli, will be on display at the former Church of the Maddalena from September 29 to October 23, accompanied by a bilingual catalogue featuring texts by Sandro Cerini (Musica Jazz), Ugo Bacci, and Renato Magni (L’Eco di Bergamo).
In Rome, meanwhile, the first edition of Piano City Roma makes its debut: the festival runs from October 3–4 and brings over one hundred pianos to the city, with 202 concerts and 130 pianists taking part. The Palazzo delle Esposizioni will host an ECM Corner on October 4, featuring concerts by Anna Gourari, Dominik Wania, Dénes Várjon, Giovanni Guidi, and Nik Bärtsch.
There’s also no shortage of concerts across Italy — for the full listing, we recommend always checking the concerts section of the ECM Records website. On October 10, in Parma, for Parma Jazz Frontiere, Andy Sheppard presents his new trio with Rita Marcotulli and Michel Benita, born out of the album Salt Catchers, released by ECM on September 11, 2026 and made up of eight original Sheppard compositions plus one piece by Carla Bley.
In Venice, on October 17, the Tallis Scholars, directed by Peter Phillips, perform at St. Mark’s Basilica as part of the Biennale Musica, whose 70th edition — titled “A Child of Sound” — takes place this year from October 10 to 24 under the artistic direction of Caterina Barbieri. The concert program ranges from Hildegard von Bingen and Gregorio Allegri to Arvo Pärt. The Tallis Scholars new album for ECM’s New Series, recorded in 2017 at St. Mark’s, is also being released around the same time. Also on October 17, at the Sale Apollinee of Teatro La Fenice, the Marcin Wasilewski Trio performs for Veneto Jazz. The Venice program closes on October 31, again at the Sale Apollinee, with Enzo Favata’s Atlantico quartet, who will be presenting music from their new ECM album Ritornare.
