* His Holiness Benedict XVI after the concert which took place in Aula Paolo VI in the Vatican on April 16, 2007 in commemoration of his 80th birthday

These few words spoken by Pope Benedict XVI are a beautiful reflection of the raison d’être of the Fondazione Pro Musica e Arte Sacra, promoter of the International Festival of Sacred Music and Art, this year in its nineteenth edition. It is our intention that all those who participate in the Festival experience the unique opportunity of receiving His Holiness’s wishes. Our Autumn Festival brings together outstanding artists, first and foremost, the Festival’s Orchestra-in-Residence, the Vienna Philharmonic, in performances of sacred music within the extraordinary setting of Rome’s Patriarchal Basilicas. Here, all manifestations of creative genius, which have since time in memoriam striven towards the pursuit of divine perfection, reunite with a highly personal spiritual perception of the individual seeking the divine within himself.

Not only does the Festival enable those who are involved achieve personal, spiritual and cultural enrichment, it is also a vehicle for thanking the supporters of the Fondazione Pro Musica e Arte Sacra. The Foundation can, with their financial support, fulfil its remit aimed at the promotion of sacred music and preservation of an artistic heritage that belongs to all mankind.

Senator. Dr. h.c. mult. Hans-Albert Courtial

General President of the Fondazione Pro Musica e Arte Sacra
Knight of the Grand Cross of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic
Ambassador for Rome in the World