At the Book Fair with Alessandro Cadario, one of the Festival directors! Talking about young people and music...
We are at International Book fair of Torino with Maestro Alessandro Cadario who is going to try a challenging endeavour: involve in one choir not only people who have never sung together, but also people who have never sung at all. The first spontaneous question is, how can you manage it?
I really don’t know, it’s the very first time for me too, it’s really an interesting idea which comes from an Europa Cantat atelier called “Choir first love sight!”, it’s amazing as challenge because it depends from people in front of you, and any time is different from the previous.
I know you work a lot with young people, they say sometimes it’s really hard to get them closer to music talking about specific repertoires, I’d like to ask you, is that true? Or is just a cliché? Can you tell us something about working with youth?
Youth is wonderful, they are everything and nothing at the same time, it depends on what you give them, it’s up to us to address them toward good and beautiful things, toward this musical heritage, not only for vocal pop or pop music, but most of all toward our Italian musical heritage and our big Maestri. Young people have to know they can be close to musicians from the past, there are many ways to involve them: singing and playing quality music from ancient repertoire, and aim to find out to artists personality. For example, not everybody knows Monteverdi was a big protester person: he was against Academy of music, he breached rules and then he found a way to give voice to what he was thinking, insomuch to change music history. Or what about Beethoven, he started his first symphony with a crazy dominant chord. It’s like getting in a church with hot pants. Talking with young people about the big artists’ humanity, it’s a way to get closer to their evolving personality and sensibility.
During the Festival you will conduct an atelier, what are you going to pursue?
I’m going to have the chance to held two ateliers, one it’s “Yo man!” on vocal hip hop, I’m going to conduct a lot of young people desirous to have fun singing pop music and music they are used to listen every day. But it’s the second atelier I really look forward to held: “Improvisation and live electronics”, born from an idea we had while we were planning the Festival. We wanted to join together electronic music with choirs, it’s really used in cultured music but in the amateur world it’s a freshness.
What do you wish to the many hosts coming to Torino for the Festival?
When a was sixteen I took part for the first time to an European workshop, while I was staying all day in touch with music, young people and new challenges, I’ve taken the decision to become a conductor and working with music. This is what I wish to all participants: a little occasion could change an entire life. I also wish them to build small memories to bring with them forever.
Thank you Alessandro Cadario, we look forward to see you again during your ateliers.
