2020 Festival Cancelled

After closely monitoring the progression of the coronavirus outbreak and carefully considering all risks involved, the Board of Directors of the Semper Music Inc. decided to

cancel the 2020 Semper Music International Festival.

This decision was not an easy one, but we are sure that based on the following, the only responsible way to handle the situation is to cancel this year festival at this point of time. This way we leave enough time for everyone to make other arrangements for the month of July and minimize potential damages.

A large number of Semper Music Festival participants and faculty come from China and other Asian countries. On Tuesday, February 04, WHO officials said that at least 490 people in China have died from the coronavirus, and the number of confirmed cases of infection rose to 24,324, up from 425 deaths and 20,438 confirmed cases the day before. It is a 20% increase of confirmed cases in one day.

Currently, the Italian government declared a six-month state of emergency, following two cases of coronavirus in Italy. It is the first such decision due to health reasons in the country’s history. The embassies and consulates of 25 Schengen countries including Italy have closed their visa application centers and suspended visa issuance in China. “Suspension of visa issuance for the nationals of a few countries in addition to China, is also an option, if the situation does not improve for the better”, EU officials said. Besides, Italy has banned all flights to and from China.

Due to these force majeure circumstances, we sadly have to cancel the 2020 Semper Music International Festival and wish all of you to stay healthy and safe.