The historic Festival of Two Worlds, created by the late musician Giancarlo Menotti in 1958, opens this year on the 28 June 2013, starring world famous dancers Alessandra Ferri, Mikhail Baryshnikov and Willelm Dafoe, theatrical works by Pinter and Gombrowicz and conductor James Conlon directing the Philharmonic Orchestra della Scala.

From the 5-14 July 2013, Umbria Jazz takes off with a glittering array of musicians and singers, such as Keith Jarrett, Diana Krall, Herbie Hancock, Chick Corea, Enrico Rava, Stefano Bollani, as well as a homage to Italian composer Armando Trovajoli.

Todi takes centre stage (23 August-1 September 2013) with a festival dedicated to Arab culture and Neapolitan music, while Città di Castello opens its Festival of Nations (27 August-7 September 2013) with an evening dedicated to Giuseppe Verdi, as well as the Italian "premiazione" of Michael Nyman's sound track for the film Battleship Potemkin.

The action-packed Umbria summer season rounds off with 14 events in the Sagra Musicale Umbra (15-25 September 2013), featuring the Prague Philharmonic with a programme of Wagner, a performance of Britten's Curlew River and a concert by Polish composer and orchestra director Krzysztof Penderecki.

Info: www.meridianaNotizia.it/umbria