Billy Cobham, Roberto Gatto, Jowee Omicil and Judith Hill among the headliners of the Lecco Jazz Festival 2026

From July 8 to 11, 2026, the Lecco Jazz Festival returns with a renewed program of concerts, diffused music and special events capable of turning the city into a great place for listening, connection and discovery. The beating heart of the 2026 edition will be the Teatro della Società, the fully renovated venue that will welcome jazz fans on a journey through memory, atmosphere and new sonic visions. A symbolic space dedicated to the encounter between artists and audience, between different musical languages, between the lakeside landscape and the city's living energy. Four evenings with major international headliners and tributes to the masters who changed the history of jazz.

It all kicks off on Wednesday, July 8 with the visionary energy of Jowee Omicil, a multi-instrumentalist and performer who defies convention, blending jazz, Afrobeat, gospel and hip-hop into a free-flowing, overwhelming sonic stream. An unpredictable, intense, spiritual concert. His only Italian date.

Thursday, July 9 brings Judith Hill, a magnetic, refined artist who has collaborated with Stevie Wonder, Michael Jackson and Prince. Her music moves through soul, funk, gospel and rock with extraordinary emotional force, delivering a powerful, gripping show. 

Friday, July 10 makes room for an absolute legend: Billy Cobham. A master of jazz fusion and an innovator of modern drumming, he celebrates his extraordinary career with Time Machine, a journey through the iconic tracks of his electric period alongside new sonic explorations full of energy and creative freedom. 

The grand finale on Saturday, July 11 features Roberto Gatto, who brings to the stage a contemporary tribute to Miles Davis and John Coltrane, weaving together memory, improvisation and musical research in an intense dialogue between tradition and new visions of jazz.

The Lecco Jazz Festival also takes over the city with the Concerts Diffusi, four free events starting at 6:30pm, offering a chance to experience jazz up close as it moves through the city amid emotion, sonic exploration and new musical connections.

It begins on Wednesday, July 8 (Auditorium Casa dell'Economia) with Francesco Bearzatti, who offers an intense tribute to John Coltrane on the centenary of his birth. A journey through jazz, spoken word and spirituality capable of turning the concert into an immersive, emotional experience.

On Thursday, July 9 (at the Auditorium Casa dell'Economia), the Marco Detto Trio presents Improvvisamente, an elegant, engaging concert where original compositions, interplay and improvisational freedom come together in a modern, refined musical dialogue.

On Friday, July 10th, Villa Gomes Park lights up with Pieces of a Woman by Cristina Russo & Neosoul Combo: an immersive live show spanning neo-soul, contemporary jazz, urban fusion and electronica, enriched by visuals and evocative atmospheres.

On Saturday, July 11th (Auditorium Casa dell'Economia), the citywide concerts wrap up with Antonio Zambrini Quartet and L'attenzione, a poetic and intense tribute to the music of Susanna Parigi, blending jazz, singer-songwriter tradition and deeply sensitive interpretation.

Alongside the main programme, the Fuori Festival also returns, organized in collaboration with the "Tra Lago e Monti" and "Suoni Mobili" festivals: a parallel series of special events that extends the festival's reach beyond the city center, forging new connections between places, artists and audiences. 

The Fuori Festival offers a musical journey through jazz, Brazilian music and contemporary crossovers. On Sunday, July 19th, Roberto Porroni and CUARTET will bring the sounds of bossa nova and Brazilian jazz to Palazzo Belgiojoso (9:30 pm), while on Tuesday, July 30th (9:30 pm), Trialogo will perform at the Chiesa dei Santi Gervaso e Protaso in a show that unites Jewish and Arabic traditions through improvisation and musical dialogue.

On Thursday, August 2nd, at Villa Gomes Park (11:00 am), Max Villavecchia will present "Tra roccia e acqua," a project blending music and painting inspired by Mediterranean landscapes. In the evening (9:30 pm), Giovanni Falzone will pay tribute to Miles Davis with "Suite For Miles," featuring jazz reinterpretations and original pieces performed alongside young musicians under 30.

The organization and artistic direction of the eleventh edition of the Lecco Jazz Festival are curated by Fondazione Teàrte Lecco in collaboration with Camera di Commercio Como-Lecco.

DISCOVER THE FULL PROGRAMME: 

THEATRE CONCERTS – 9:30 pm

Wednesday, July 8th – Jowee Omicil

Thursday, July 9th – Judith Hill

Friday, July 10th – Billy Cobham

Saturday, July 11th – Roberto Gatto

CITYWIDE CONCERTS – 6:30 pm

Wednesday, July 8th – Francesco Bearzatti 

Thursday, July 9th – Marco Detto Trio

Friday, July 10 – Cristina Russo & Neosoul Combo

Saturday, July 11 – Antonio Zambrini Quartet

PASSES AND TICKETS

The evening events at Teatro della Società Lecco will require a ticket or pass. Passes will be available starting Wednesday, June 3 at 10:00 AM, at the box office and online on the theater's website and on vivaticket.com

Tickets, on the other hand, will be available starting Friday, June 12 at 10:00 AM, at the box office and online on the theater's website and on vivaticket.com

The Concerts Diffusi around the city and the Fuori Festival will be free admission.

FESTIVAL VENUES

Teatro della Società – Piazza Giuseppe Garibaldi, 10, Lecco

Auditorium Casa dell'Economia – Viale Tonale, 28/30, Lecco

Parco di Villa Gomes – Via Carlo Gomez, 13, Lecco

Palazzo Belgiojoso – Corso Giacomo Matteotti, 32, Lecco Chiesa Ss.Mm. Gervaso e Protaso – Via Antonio Fogazzaro, 26, Lecco

Ride the wave of great music

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