The Rossini Opera Festival (ROF) is an international opera festival which the town of Pesaro dedicates to its most illustrious citizen: Gioachino Rossini (Pesaro 29th February 1792 – Paris 13th November 1858).
This event aims at the knowledge and study of the musical heritage of the composer, who bequeathed his property to the municipality of Pesaro in order to found a music school, the modern Conservatory.
In 1994 the homonymous Foundation was established and it supports the Rossini Foundation in the revival and rediscovery of Rossini’s works.
Every year, in August, the festival is held at the Rossini Theatre and at the Pedrotti Auditorium and the works by Rossini are performed, such as La donna del lago, Il Barbiere di Siviglia, Guglielmo Tell, L’italiana in Algeri, L’occasione fa il ladro, Mosè in Egitto, La Gazza ladra, etc.
The Rossini Opera Festival is among the state-supervised works of restoration of the national artistic heritage and thanks to this festival many of the works by Rossini have become part of the repertoire of the greatest Italian operas.
In 2016 there's the start of the celebrations for the 150th bicentennial of Gioachino Rossini's death (2016/2018).
In 2018 there will be the celebrations for the 150th anniversary of the death of Gioachino Rossini, the famous composer born in Pesaro in 1792 and died in Passy, Paris in 1868. Pesaro, City of Music, has been hosting the events and celebrations since the year 2016. The program will finish in 2019.