This year the theme of the festival is Italian music under the generic title "New Music: The Seventeenth Century in Italy".

The production causing the biggest stir is Cavalli’s opera Hipermestra performed by Sfera Armoniosa conducted by Mike Fentross and the soloists Elena Monti, Enmanuella Galli, Mark Tucker and Sergio Foresti, among others, which will be staged on 24, 26 and 28 August.

But there are unique programs to be found in Utrecht every day. Some of these include: Philippe Herreweghe’s Orchestra des Champs Elysées and Collegium Vocale Gent performing Mozart’s Requiem; the Ensemble Daedalus with music by Salomone Rossi; a harpsichord recital by Rinaldo Alessandrini with music by Couperin and Cabanilles; and Concerto Soave with María Cristina Kiehr in the program "Il canto delle Dame".

This year’s artist-in-residence, Christina Pluhar, and her L´Arpeggiata, will present three programs consisting of Monteverdi’s Ballo delle ingrate, arias by Rossi and a session of improvised music; Jérôme Correas’ Les Paladins give a program of music by Mazzocchi; Rinaldo Alessandrini’s Concerto Italiano play works by Castello, Uccellini and Merula; Françoise Lasserre’s ensemble Akademia will perform Stefano Landi’s tragi-comedy La morte d´Orfeo, while Gerard Lesne’s Il Seminario Musicale give the opera Il Medoro by Francesco Lucio; and Fabio Bonizzoni’s La Risonanza present a program of madrigals by Alessandro Grandi. Guido Moroni’s Accordone will give a programme called "Via Toledo".

Other artists include Harry van der Kamp’s Gesualdo Consort Amsterdam in works by Lacorcia, Turco and Tagliavia; Enrico Gatti’s Ensemble Aurora who give the oratorio San Giovanni Battista by Stradella; Le Venexiana in Monteverdi madrigals; Vincent Dumestre’s Le Poeme Harmonique (the oratorio La vita humana by Marco Marazzoli) and the Namur Chamber Choir and Jean Tubery’s Ensemble La Fenice in works by Gabrieli.