The traditional Cori in Concerto event returns to San Francesco, offering its 15th edition as a unique marriage of choral singing and a truly unique genre: operetta. Admission is free, and tickets can be booked at www.fondazionecarilucca.it starting at 12 noon on Tuesday, December 2nd.

The event is scheduled for Sunday, December 7th, at 6:00 pm in the Church of San Francesco. The Gruppo Corale Lucchese, the CLT Choir, and the Stereotipi Choir, under the direction of Maestro Gianfranco Cosmi, will perform an original program drawn from a diverse repertoire, all inspired by this genre, which has been very popular since the second half of the 19th century and has gradually been replaced over the last century by more modern forms of musical entertainment from America, such as musicals and musical comedies.

Operetta has always been a light-hearted musical performance with a comic-sentimental tone, featuring catchy melodies, and, of course, always with happy endings. For many, it is a sort of ‘minor art’ when compared to opera, but it is certainly a form of entertainment that has enjoyed great success, thanks also to the contribution of authors such as Strauss and Lehar.

The program, which will be performed in San Francesco under the direction of Vania Della Bidia, features music from Il paese dei campanelli by Carlo Lombardo and Virgilio Ranzato, Scugnizza by Mario Costa, L’acqua cheta by Giuseppe Pietri, To the Little White Horse by Ralph Benatzky, Die Fledermaus by Johann Strauss, and The Merry Widow by Franz Lehár. The performance will be enhanced by the interpretations of leading soloists such as sopranos Marialuigia Borsi and Sara Guidi and tenor Claudio Sassetti.

After previous editions featuring choral works from works by major musicians such as Verdi, Wagner, Beethoven, Bellini, Donizetti, Puccini, and Mascagni, 2025 will celebrate a popular art form that is rarely seen today, but still widely enjoyed by lovers of melodic music accessible to all. This is an excellent way to kick off the month of Christmas celebrations, which will see further concerts enliven the Church of San Francesco.

Admission is free, and tickets can be booked at www.fondazionecarilucca.it starting at 12 noon on Tuesday, December 2nd.