Santiago Cañón-Valencia and Naoko Sonoda at Aula Magna della Sapienza, Tuesday, December 15, 2026

On Tuesday, December 15, 2026 at 8:30 p.m., cellist Santiago Cañón-Valencia and pianist Naoko Sonoda play at Aula Magna della Sapienza, at piazzale Aldo Moro 5 in Rome, as part of the IUC Calliope and Minerva cycles. Tickets are sold online, at the IUC office at Lungotevere Flaminio 50, or at the Aula Magna box office starting one hour before the concert.

Updated November 9, 2026.

The event

For the Colombian cellist, born in 1995, this is a Rome debut. Raised in Bogotá in a family of musicians and painters, he won the silver medal at the 2019 Tchaikovsky Competition, first prize at the Beijing International Competition and third prize at the Queen Elisabeth. He is joined by Japanese pianist Naoko Sonoda, winner of numerous piano and chamber music competitions.

The program moves through twentieth-century and contemporary cello music: Debussy's Sonata no. 1 in D minor L 144, Ginastera's Sonata op. 49, Arvo Pärt's «Fratres» and Shostakovich's Sonata in D minor op. 40. The program also includes «Ad Noctem», a piece by Cañón-Valencia himself, in its Italian premiere.

Where it takes place: Aula Magna della Sapienza

Aula Magna is in the Rettorato building on the Sapienza campus, at piazzale Aldo Moro 5, and hosts the concerts of the Istituzione Universitaria dei Concerti season. The box office opens one hour before the start. The full program of the 82nd season is on its own page: IUC concert season 2026/2027. The cello returns to the hall the following month with Mario Brunello, on January 19, 2027.

Practical information

• Date: Tuesday, December 15, 2026
• Time: 8:30 p.m.
• Venue: Aula Magna della Sapienza, piazzale Aldo Moro 5, Rome
• Tickets: 15 to 26 euros, 8 euros under 30, 5 euros under 18; online, at the IUC office, or at the Aula Magna box office one hour before
• Getting there: use the ATAC route planner

Frequently asked questions about Santiago Cañón-Valencia

Who is playing?

Santiago Cañón-Valencia on cello and Naoko Sonoda on piano.

What is on the program?

Sonatas by Debussy, Ginastera and Shostakovich, Pärt's «Fratres» and the cellist's own «Ad Noctem» in its Italian premiere.

Is it a debut?

Yes, the IUC presents the concert as the artist's Rome debut.

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