On September 19 and 20, Saint Louis will participate in the Portanuova Music Fest 2026: two days of music production workshops, concerts, and DJ sets in Milan.
In September 2026, the Portanuova Music Fest returns—the free music festival organized by Portanuova and Openstage, which brings over 40 emerging artists to four stages adjacent to Piazza Gae Aulenti in Milan. As part of the Festival, the Saint Louis stage, located in Piazza Alvar Aalto, will host free music production workshops, sessions dedicated to beatmaking, concerts, live electronic performances, and DJ sets featuring instructors, students, and guests from the Italian music scene.
The event is open to the public and offers an opportunity to discover how a professional music production comes to life, learn about Saint Louis’s educational programs, and witness firsthand the work of producers, musicians, and sound designers.
What Is the Portanuova Music Fest?
The Portanuova Music Fest is a free festival created by Portanuova and Openstage, the platform that promotes live music through its professional audio kiosks installed in public spaces and bookable via an app.
Over the weekend, the Portanuova neighborhood—including Piazza Gae Aulenti and the surrounding areas—is transformed into a large space dedicated to music, featuring four outdoor stages, more than forty emerging artists, concerts, performances, and activities open to the public.
Saint Louis Stage, the program
On September 19 and 20, with a preview on the afternoon of the 18th, on the Saint Louis stage at PortaNuova Fest, students, aspiring producers, and music enthusiasts can put their talent to the test by attending a free workshop on Ableton Live, stopping by to hear how a remix is created, or taking the stage during the electronic jam session.
- Open Classes – Starting at 6:00 p.m. on September 18, and then at 11:00 a.m. on Friday, September 19, and Saturday, September 20, free sessions dedicated to beat making, Deep Listening, Inside The Mix, and other topics related to studio work, led by industry professionals and Saint Louis instructors, including Idra and Dario Giuffrida;
- Course Presentation – Saint Louis introduces its new short courses, “The Art of the Remix,” with Lorenzo Morresi and Mattia Del Moro, Cantiere Musica,in collaboration with Astarte Agency, TheStylePusher, Waveforms Studio and the Studio Coaching & Production service, led by HU (Federica Ferracuti);
- Live music on the Saint Louis Stage – an electronic jam session open to participants via an open call, performances by students from Saint Louis’s academic courses in electronic music, DJ sets by Lorenzo Morresi and Mattia Del Moro, a live performance by Alessandro Spoldi with the Ferruginosa project, and a performance by HU. We are awaiting confirmation of participation from other producers in the Italian music scene.
The Openstage Contest
Among the initiatives planned for this edition, the collaboration between Saint Louis and Openstage paves the way for something that goes beyond the stage. Of all the bands performing at the festivalThere will be a chance for one of them to enter the Saint Louis recording studios at 37 Viale Luigi Bodio, and record your own song with technical support from faculty and students in the AFAM Institute’s academic sound engineering programs.
An award that transforms a live performance into a finished track, ready for listening and distribution, professionally produced from recording to mastering.
How to Participate
Admission to the Portanuova Music Fest 2026 is free. All concerts, live performances, and DJ sets on the Saint Louis stage are free.
Participation in the music production workshops “A Lesson with Saint Louis: Mix & Mastering” led by Dario Giuffrida (September 19, 11:00 a.m.) and“A Lesson with Saint Louis: Deep Listening,” led by IDRA (September 20, 11:00 a.m.), is free and requires registration via the form on this page.
