The activity of the Ponchielli Theatre starts off every year in September to finish at the end of June. The opening of the artistic year is dedicated to the concerts programmed on the occasion of the town violin-making events promoted by the Fondazione Antonio Stradivari . Immediately after (October- December) the traditional opera season begins. The concert seasons (orchestral and chamber music) and the season of plays are open in December, whereas a rich programme dedicated to school audiences is started in January (Oltreibanchi). During the spring the Ponchielli presents a season dedicated to contemporary dance (“La Danza”) and projects of world and jazz music : a special attention is also given to singer-songwriters and pop music great interpreters. Over the first months of the year there are also shows that, for the contents and the time (early afternoon) are especially aimed to the Senior Audience. Between May and June the Theatre promotes the Festival of Cremona Claudio Monteverdi, dedicated to the great composer and , more generally, to baroque music. At the beginning of June the pupils and the teachers of the Accademia W. Stauffer are on stage for the concerts “Omaggio a Cremona”. At last, still in June, the Ponchielli welcomes the town dance schools, each with its own shown.