Known as one of the main industrial centres in Italy, the Piemonte Region and the City of Torino are no less active on the cultural front. As well as industry and production, our area has developed a cultural side becoming a venue for major events and prestigious institutions. Sensitive to all aspects of art, it has always given and continues to give a primary space to music.

Max Weber wrote at the beginning of the twentieth century that music, this music of which the choral repertoire is an important part, is one of the hallmarks of European civilization and culture. A region that has given a boost to the unity of Italy, a city that was the first capital, both Piemonte and Torino have always felt simultaneously European. For this reason, we are glad to welcome the Festival Europa Cantat and we are proud to have been chosen to host this prestigious event which, for the first time, will be held in our country.

Torino will welcome you and will offer you all, singers, conductors, lecturers and organisers, its most prestigious musical venues, traditional hospitality and the friendliness of its people and its lifestyle. But above all it is ready to welcome with enthusiasm all you will bring: your music, your concerts and the warmth of your passion for singing. We are confident that everyone will feel at home in Piemonte. We therefore invite singers from across Europe to participate in the Festival Europa Cantat XVIII Torino 2012. We hope this
is just the beginning of a friendship destined to last.

Michele Coppola
Councilor for culture, youth policy and linguistic heritage of the Piemonte Region

Maurizio Braccialarghe
Councilor for culture, tourism and promotion of the City of Torino