Born as a traveling party for the squares of the region, today Umbria Jazz boasts a highly respected program that has seen internationally renowned artists on the stage.
From Miles Davis to Lionel Hampton, from Dedee Bridgewater to Paolo Conte, all the greatest names in international jazz have taken this stage made up of unique spaces such as the Church of San Francesco al Prato, the Cathedral and the Basilica of San Pietro.
Since 2003, concerts have been held at the Santa Giuliana arena, with names such as Ornette Coleman, Van Morrison, Bobby McFerrin, Earth, Wind & Fire, James Brown and Manhattan Transfer. Other concerts are held at the eighteenth-century Teatro del Pavone (Sarah Vaughan, 1984), at the municipal theater Morlacchi (Caetano Veloso), at the thirteenth-century church of San Francesco al Prato (Gil Evans, Carmen McRae, the Liberation Music Orchestra), oratory Filipino of Santa Cecilia, in the Podiani hall of the National Gallery of Umbria, in the cathedral of Perugia (the Gospel choirs), in the St. Peter’s Basilica (Jan Garbarek and Hilliard Ensemble for the project Officium) and in the Renato Curi stadium (Miles Davis in 1984 and Sting in 1987).
In 1997 a concert was moved to Villa Fidelia di Spello (Eric Clapton).
For free concerts, Piazza IV Novembre and the Carducci gardens are used.