The attractions of PIMF’s Music in the Mansion intensive for strings in Miami, Florida between Christmas and New Years are undeniable… escaping winter weather in a gorgeous location to make music, friends, and memories; studying with members of The Philadelphia Orchestra while traveling friends and family enjoy the area at the same time; and then take/go home a more skilled musician and performer at the end of the trip.
The success of our very popular Florida program – it sells out EVERY YEAR – inspired PIMF to launch a new program in 2025 to serve musician families looking for a similar training experience but in a different kind of setting and in a different season.
And we’re doing it again.
Philadelphia International Music Festival – Vanoli Cremona is back August 4-14, 2026 for pianists and string musicians 13-20 years of age preparing for upcoming solo performances and competitions. They’ll study with members of The Philadelphia Orchestra IN ITALY. Che fantastico!
Family and friends traveling with the students will experience the culture, food, history and overall dolce vita of surrounding Northern Italy while the musicians polish their skills in Cremona.
“We’re excited to be able to expand our programming in Italy’s historic violin capital,” PIMF President Sandy Marcucci said. “We designed this festival for string instruments, but demand has been intense for piano study as well. The immersion in the music-drenched history of Cremona and its surrounding area is inspiring for ANY musician and music lover.”
All travelers to PIMF Italy start the adventure with a tour of Milan upon arrival – one of the world’s fashion capitals and opera capitals! We’ll see La Scala Opera House, where Verdi, Puccini, Donizetti, Meyerbeer, Rossini, and even Poulenc premiered their works to the most passionate and discriminating critics to ever stare at a stage.
The next day takes the group to epic Verona, to tour the streets where Romeo was smitten by Juliet (and see THAT balcony, so they say!), and a majestic Roman amphitheater that hosts performances to this day.
Home base for everyone on the trip is the storied city of Cremona, a Medieval jewel and violin mecca. Cremona’s ancient violin-making tradition was deemed deserving of protection on UNESCO’s list of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2012. Cremona celebrates string instruments on every street, as well as history, delicious foods, and music music MUSIC.
Like our Music in the Mansion winter program, enrolled students will immerse themselves in their training with private lessons, studio classes, daily workouts with a piano accompanist, daily solo performance classes, and focused practice — but in possibly the most inspiring setting a string musician can imagine, steps away from the streets Stradivari himself strode.
Their schedule will include daily culture breaks to explore extraordinary sites such as the treasures of the Violin Museum, jawdropping views from the cathedral bell tower, the meticulous craft of legendary luthiers, the astonishing acoustics of the historic Ponchielli Opera House, and more.
While the students settle in for their Cremona experience, family and friends set forth on daily explorations of magnificent landmarks and magical vistas across Northern Italy.
We’ll sink into a couple of days of pampering at the gorgeous L’Albereta Spa and Winery. Get a spa treatment, stroll the spectacular grounds and sculpture garden, or just play movie star at the sumptuous pool the whole time.
Beautiful Brescia sits at the foot of the Alps with a stunning medieval fortress and stirring layers of ancient history. It’s a UNESCO treasure trove of Roman ruins and Renaissance architecture, with a generous dollop of Baroque detail. Steep yourself in the echoes of the past — and the region’s famous olive oil.
Florence boasts an iconic skyline – the dominating Duomo, one of the most recognizable cathedrals on the planet! – with its massive Brunelleschi dome, ornate bronze Baptistery doors, marvelous mosaics and polychrome marble exterior. The Medicis stocked their capital with eye-popping estates and some of the most important art to survive to this day. Michelangelo’s David lives here! The shopping at the leather markets, strolling and drooling the Ponte Vecchio jewelry stalls over the River Arno, and all that superb Tuscan food… O mio babbino caro, Florence is deliziosa on every level (and every level is NEXT LEVEL!)
The entire group converges in Cremona for Day 8 of this trip to enjoy the Grand Finale concerts of PIMF-Italy. Be prepared for press: we got local TV coverage last summer.
The traveling band gets back together after the finale and wraps up this glorious sojourn with more glorious scenery.
We dig into Italy’s era of exploration on a visit to Genoa. Christopher Columbus looked out on the Ligurian Sea everyday when he grew up in this sailing-centric city. Rulers and merchants spread their wealth and new foreign influences all over this perpendicular burg sprawled across a hillside and created what is now a massive and varied historic center. And if you love pesto sauce, you haven’t really enjoyed it until you savor some made from the basil grown in Genoa’s particular microclimate. It will haunt your taste buds forever.
We’ll live like Italian in-country tourists on our last travel day with a visit to adorable Sirmione on spectacular Lake Garda, the largest lake in Italy. Described as “a perfect mix of scenery, swimming, castles, and Roman ruins,” it’s set on a peninsula that catches the breezes and teems with things to see, do, and – still Italy! – taste.
Ready to chill with your cello and vibe with your violin in the country where it happened? Join PIMF in Italy this summer!
