Taormina Jazz Festival 2026

From 23 to 26 July 2026, Taormina will host the 13th edition of the Taormina Jazz Festival, an event that reaffirms its connection with the international jazz scene and promotes the city through music, art and contemporary culture. The festival transforms some of Taormina’s most evocative venues into a stage dedicated to bringing together great jazz performers and audiences from all over the world. The main concerts take place at the Villa Comunale and the Ancient Theatre of Taormina, two venues that highlight the dialogue between music and historical heritage.

On 23 July, the festival opens with the Alfredo Rodríguez Trio, a group led by the Cuban pianist Alfredo Rodríguez, one of the most intriguing figures on the contemporary international jazz scene. The trio brings to the stage a repertoire that blends jazz, Afro-Cuban rhythms and modern improvisation, in a free concert at the Villa Comunale.

On 25 July, it is the turn of the Roberto Gatto Quartet featuring Pietro Tonolo, with a special tribute to two legends of world jazz, Miles Davis and John Coltrane. Taking to the stage at the Villa Comunale are Roberto Gatto on drums, Pietro Tonolo on tenor saxophone, Alessandro Presti on trumpet, Alfonso Santimone on piano and Gabriele Evangelista on double bass, for an evening dedicated to the great jazz tradition.

The grand finale takes place on 26 July at the Ancient Theatre of Taormina with Cécile McLorin Salvant, one of the most acclaimed and innovative voices in contemporary jazz. Winner of numerous Grammy Awards, the American artist presents a repertoire spanning jazz, blues, folk and musical theatre, accompanied by Sullivan Fortner on piano, Yasushi Nakamura on bass and Kyle Poole on drums.

The Taormina Jazz Festival thus offers three days dedicated to great live music, highlighting the dialogue between international artists, cultural heritage and unique settings. An event that confirms Taormina as one of Sicily’s summer music capitals, capable of hosting artistic experiences of international calibre in a setting of extraordinary beauty.