Music of the Aosta Valley

The development of music in the Aosta Valley region of Italy, similar to nearby Piedmont, has much to do with the presence of medieval monasteries that preserved important musical manuscripts from the Middle Ages and also served as conduits of information and influence from areas to the north. The area has acquired a recent reputation for actively promoting contemporary music and for providing musical facilities for the youth.

The city of Aosta, itself, is the home of a Youth Symphony and, since 1999, the Valle d'Aosta Symphony Orchestra. Both of these groups avail themselves of the spacious Roman theater (from the 1st century AD) at Porta Pretoria to put on a series of outdoor summer concerts. As well, the city hosts an International Festival of Chamber Music and an interesting Silent Film Festival with live musical accompaniment.

Elsewhere in the region, in Gressoney-Saint-Jean the Friends of Music of Gressoney use the Savoy Palace (built in 1904 for Queen Margherita of Italy) for summer chamber music recitals. In Sarre, as well, an international music festival is held annually in the medieval Savoy Castle.