Teatro Ponchielli steps into 2026 with a breath of fresh air. The arrival of the young superintendent Andrea Nocerinomarks the debut of a bold and vibrant vision that, at first glance, clearly breaks with the previous administration—not only in programming but also in communication. Nocerino chooses white as the guiding color: a clean, essential canvas on which a central element of his artistic vision stands out—the gesture. Gesture itself becomes the connective tissue between music, dance, drama, and opera: a universal sign that forms the earliest means of communication between human beings. No season titles, no container-like labels: in their place, a strong interconnection between the different sectors and a continuous narrative running through all of the theater’s events.

“Art has the task of providing answers,” the new superintendent affirms. A clear programmatic statement: the idea of the theater as a living, welcoming place—attentive to the present and capable of representing the world in its transformations. A home open to the community, forging valuable ties (such as the collaboration with Casa Stradivari) and attentive to a category that is the city’s pride: extending student discounts to luthiers pays homage to Cremona, allowing it to fully recognize itself in its excellence—the crafting of string instruments—and in those who create them.

Now let’s get to the heart of the program: from January to April 2026, an international mosaic of outstanding music. The 2026 music season promises intensity and variety: nine subscription concerts and two additional performances, a parade of stars bringing to Cremona some of the most respected orchestras on the European scene and soloists of irresistible charisma.

Raising the curtain is a concert that already has the feel of an event: the Orchestra Sinfonica Nazionale della RAI (RAI National Symphony Orchestra), led by the brilliant Italian-German conductor Nicolò Foron, a rising name on the international stage.

Next comes the Stuttgart Philharmonic Orchestra, with a program dedicated to travel as discovery and as identity; followed by an entirely Italian excellence, the Filarmonica Toscanini, enriched by the magnetic talent of violinist Charlie Siem, an undisputed star of the British concert scene.

The heart of the season beats strongly in chamber music and recitals as well: the charisma of Gautier Capuçon, one of the world’s most beloved cellists, performing in duo with young pianist Mirabelle Kajenjeri; the growing talent of Gabriele Strata, finalist at the 2025 Chopin Competition, in a solo piano recital; and the poetic violin of Inmo Yang, accompanied by Sam Sahun Hong, in a concert of rare musical intensity.

And then, the return of artists the audience already loves: the irrepressible Mnozil Brass, ready once again to surprise, entertain, and enchant with an eclectic program inspired by Johann Strauss and more. Making their Ponchielli debut is the Arod Quartet, one of the most celebrated young chamber ensembles, already named a BBC New Generation Artist. Bringing the season to a close is a burst of sonic splendor: the 12 Cellists of the Berliner Philharmoniker, with a program embracing Debussy and Pärt, then venturing into the cinematic magic of Rota and Morricone—a fitting celebration to bid farewell to an audience that always knows how to make its heart heard at the Ponchielli.

Outside the subscription series—but deeply aligned with the theater’s soul—is the collaboration with Casa Stradivari, presenting two concerts: the sibling duo Kirill and Alexandra Troussov, offering a tribute to the heights of the nineteenth-century repertoire, and the Trio Debussy, in a performance rich in evocative and imaginative soundscapes.

The dance season features eight performances by international and Italian companies, with long-awaited returns and prestigious debuts. The lineup spans contemporary dance, classical dance, dance-theater, and new choreographic languages.

It opens with a contemporary triptych by Morau, Goecke, and Ekman for the Belgian company NDT2, followed by the celebrated Romeo and Juliet of Les Ballets de Monte-Carlo. Among the Italian highlights are the gala The Joy of Dancing with the Soloists of Teatro alla Scala, Nicoletta Manni and Timofej Andrijashenko; La Duse Nessuna by Adriano Bolognino for Opus Ballet, dedicated to Eleonora Duse; and Decisione Consapevole by Roberto Tedesco, winner of the 2024 Danza&Danza Award as Emerging Choreographer.

The program also includes Otello by Fabrizio Monteverde with the Balletto di Roma and concludes with two international guests: Tao Dance Theater with Numerical Series 16–17, winner of the 2023 Silver Lion, and Sasha Waltzwith Beethoven 7, a powerful reinterpretation of Beethoven’s Seventh Symphony.

Even from this first glimpse of his work, it is clear that the new superintendent, Andrea Nocerino, intends to leave a personal mark on the Ponchielli: classical and essential, his vision can engage with tradition without fear of renewing it.

A season that speaks to the city yet reaches far beyond it, thanks to the caliber of its events—motivated by the belief that beauty can still be a tool for understanding our time and, perhaps, for changing it for the better.