Paolo Fresu and the sound of Italy at the Olympic Closing Ceremony-

The 65-year-old legendary Italian trumpeter and composer brought his unique sound to the Closing Ceremony of the Olympic Winter Games 2026 and captivate the audience in the Arena di Verona.

Picture by 2017 Getty Images

By Fentuo Tahiru Fentuo22 February 2026 20:55 GMT+12 min read

When the curtain drew on the Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026 with the Closing Ceremony on Sunday (22 February), the event, among other things, leaned into substance – and few musicians represent that better than Italian jazz trumpeter and composer Paolo Fresu.

Fresu’s presence at the Closing Ceremony matched the scale and stature of the iconic Arena di Verona, where the scene of this chapter lay. 

For more than four decades, the 65-year old Sardinian trumpeter has been one of Europe’s most respected jazz voices, a musician whose tone is restrained, with a sprinkle of Mediterranean sensibility. 

In global terms, Fresu carries the kind of prestige usually reserved for classical maestros. He has recorded extensively, collaborated across continents and led projects that bridge jazz, folk traditions, and contemporary composition. He may be fundamentally Italian and inherently Sardinian, and yet he is cosmopolitan in his style, and can lead a listener on a variety of musical journeys.

In Italy, he is not just a performer but a cultural figure: a founder of festivals, mentor to young artists and a steady advocate for jazz as a living, evolving art form.