The Great Academies, Masters and Students

A SERIES OF CONCERTS CURATED BY ANTONIO CAGGIANO

Autumn season - October/December

The concert season Le grandi Accademie, i maestri e gli allievi, scheduled up to December 2025, aiming to celebrate the exceptional link between musical tradition and emerging talent, starts again on October 25th. Every single concert offers the opportunity to listen to performances that mix the past and the present, the consolidated mastery and the energy of young musicians, for a rich and engaging musical experience.

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25 OCTOBER, 7.30 PM
Michele Tadini  | Daniel Arango Prada
Crossover

music by Tadini, Arango Prada

23 and 24 October masterclass  and Seminars

This concert explores the boundary line that has always animated the artistic practice of musicians, composers and performers, tracing a musical journey through all the genres listened to, played, analysed and composed. Stripped of the weight of their contrast, sacred and secular, high and popular culture meet in an internal space more important than the very definition of opposites. The same spirit is also reflected in the idea of teaching composition. Openness to different aesthetics and dialogue with all languages make the pedagogy of composition a two-way process, a give and take, without which it would be meaningless to talk about authentic transmission. An exchange in which the relationship between teacher and student becomes a mobile and permeable boundary, where the experience of the teacher is placed at the service of new aesthetics and evolving musical personality.

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22 NOVEMBER, 7.30 PM
Manuel Zurria  | Paolo Ravaglia
2+

music by Tom Johnson, Riccardo Nova, Horacio Vaggione, Mattew Shlomowitz, Juste Janulyte, Emanuele Casale

Music today presents itself as a multisensory language, layered on increasingly complex levels that cross the river of our perceptions. “2+” is an ambitious project (and a game at the same time…) in which Paolo Ravaglia and Manuel Zurria, companions in forty-year experimental forays, exhibit an expanded use of electronics as an added value (specifically, the plus) that, as an appendix to the two performers, filters, develops, distorts, reveals and imagines a new, dystopian, reality in progress.
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13 DECEMBER, 7.30 PM
Local academies, teachers and students                                             
Orchestra SMS della Scuola di Musica Sinfonia, Lucca | Filarmonica “Giacomo Puccini” APS – Segromigno in Monte | Accademia della Musica Francesco Geminiani, Altopascio
music by  Lou Reed, Rick Wright, Third Ear Band and others to be announced

An event dedicated to the celebration of the musical communities active in Tuscany, with a particular focus on the province of Lucca. This concert was born from the desire to enhance those spaces where musical culture germinates every day; local associations, choirs, and music schools. On stage, teachers and students give voice and soul to a project that highlights the educational and formative role of local musical institutions, not simply for playing but building cultural bridges; every note is a seed of awareness, every harmony a step towards a more mature community. An authentic musical experience, where past, present and future meet under the banner of passion and artistic education.       

13 dECEMBER 2025
7.00 PM

Local academies, teachers and students

Orchestra SMS della Scuola di Musica Sinfonia, Lucca
Filarmonica G. Puccini - Banda di Segromigno
Accademia della Musica Francesco Geminiani, Altopascio

music BY Lou Reed, Rick Wright, Third Ear Band and others to be announced

An event dedicated to the celebration of the musical communities active in Tuscany, with a particular focus on the province of Lucca. This concert was born from the desire to enhance those spaces where musical culture germinates every day; local associations, choirs, and music schools.

On stage, teachers and students give voice and soul to a project that highlights the educational and formative role of local musical institutions, not simply for playing but building cultural bridges; every note is a seed of awareness, every harmony a step towards a more mature community. An authentic musical experience, where past, present and future meet under the banner of passion and artistic education.   

SMS Orchestra of the Scuola di Musica Sinfonia, Lucca
Created as a chamber music workshop by Stefano Giannotti, within the Scuola di Musica Sinfonia (Symphony Music School), and active since 2012 without a specific name. It is a mixed ensemble of wind instruments, strings, guitars, keyboards, percussion and voices. Its repertoire ranges from post-punk to psychedelic music, from prog to Baroque-Renaissance music, with forays into contemporary experimental fields. The orchestra, whose line-up ranges from 12 to 16 members has created several themed projects, including Omaggio ai King Crimson (Homage to King Crimson) (2013) for the launch of the Donato Zoppo’s book, King Crimson – Islands; Solchi Sperimentali (Experimental Grooves) (2015), a tribute to the avant-garde music of Italy and beyond in collaboration with Antonello Cresti and Vittore Baroni; the project Da oriente a occidente (From East to West) (2017/18), a musical journey on the themes of exodus, walls, and hospitality; rara canzone (rare song) (2021-22), a collection of little-known or forgotten songs by famous and lesser-known authors, including pieces composed by members of the group, a project that later merged into the current Musica sparpagliata (Scattered Music) (2022/25), which is also the title of the CD published for Altrock in February 2025.The current repertoire includes pieces by Battisti/Panella, The Velvet Underground, Robert Wyatt, Tuxedomoon, David Bowie, Young Marble Giants, Third Ear Band, Rick Wright, Giacomo Puccini and many others.

Filarmonica “Giacomo Puccini” APS – Segromigno in Monte
The Filarmonica Giacomo Puccini APS of Segromigno in Monte was founded in 1885 on the initiative of the then parish priest, Don Sante Salani. The original idea was to create a philharmonic association capable of creating a musical band that could accompany the region’s religious and civil functions, thus strengthening the sense of community. Over the course of its over 140-year history, the band has continued to honour the spirit of its origins, combining liturgical and ceremonial service with significant independent concert activity. Today, it has over 50 members and has a prominent role in musical productions ranging from original band music to transcriptions of operas and symphonies, and even film scores. Alongside the band, the Filarmonica is committed to running a music school that is free and open to all, and which is a benchmark for musical education in the region. The courses include music theory and solfège, clarinet, saxophone, trumpet, trombone, horn, flute and percussion. The focus on young people is particularly significant: in addition to guaranteeing free lessons, the school also provides the necessary musical instruments free of charge. Students also have the opportunity to participate in the ensemble music class, where they immediately experience the pleasure and importance of playing with others, in a context of both musical and social growth. The artistic direction of the ensemble is currently entrusted to Maestro Biagio Mazzafera, who guides the Filarmonica with passion and professionalism towards new musical challenges, following a tradition that continues to evolve.

Accademia della Musica Francesco Geminiani, Altopascio
Founded in 2002, the Accademia Geminiani is a leading music education establishment in the province of Lucca. It offers courses for all ages and levels, from music games for children to advanced training courses for adults and professionals. With qualified teachers and a welcoming environment, the academy also promotes cultural and social projects, including the Francigena International Arts Festival (now in its 14^th festival), concerts, charity events and collaborations with local institutions. Composed of students and teachers of the Accademia Geminiani, the Orchestra Giovanile Geminiani was created with the aim of offering young musicians a high-level orchestral experience, combining training, artistic growth and a passion for music. Under the guidance of Maestro Rosella Isola, the orchestra tackles a repertoire that ranges from classical to contemporary music, and includes the great cinema classics. The approach is workshop-based, inclusive and professionalising, with a particular attention to performance quality and group cohesion. The orchestral experience is thus transformed into a human and cultural journey, in which young people learn to communicate through the universal language of music, to work as a team and to build, note by note, their own artistic identity. The Orchestra Giovanile Geminiani has performed in various venues including the “Vincenzo da Massa Carrara” Theatre in Porcari, Santuario Le Vedute and for the Francigena Festival 2025 in the Church of Vorno and in Piazza Ospitalieri in Altopascio, receiving acclaim from audiences and critics.