OPEN LETTER TO ARTISTS, SPONSORS AND FRIENDS OF THE SPOLETO FESTIVAL EVERYWHERE
FROM FRANCIS MENOTTI AND THE MENOTTI FAMILY Dearest Friends,
My father, the Maestro Gian Carlo Menotti, intended the Festival dei Due Mondi to be a festival for everybody, an event all Italians and music-lovers worldwide could be proud of. He dedicated his life to it; to the audiences and to the thousands of artists who found their voice under his patronage -- some of them now the most prominent artists in the world. It was truly an act of love.
The Festival has been recently taken away by those who, after benefiting my father’s creativity, have decided, after his death, to use what we’ve built for their own gain. They use our trademark, “Festival dei Due Mondi”, without our consent. I was thus forced to start a lawsuit to protect our rights, as well as the continuity of our artistic tradition.
On his deathbed, I made a solemn promise to my father to defend the honor and integrity of the Festival to the full extent of my powers.
I take my oath very seriously and I ask you to stand side by side
with me in protecting my father's wishes. I hope and pray that
with the help of the Minister of Culture, we can once again collaborate and all parties can come together to find a solution.
I have been blessed with an extraordinary life. It has been an honor and a privilege to help my father create the magical moments that audiences and artists shared together each year during a balmy summer month under Umbrian skies.
Do you remember these moments? Has your soul been touched by the art as mine has? Then it is essential that we hear from you now! Your stories of individual inspiration from Festivals past sustain us during our struggle. Please share these stories with us at
