FESTIVAL THEME 2026: IN PRAISE OF FOLLY

A1 | Nella vecchia airottaf
lecturer: Ilaria Cavalca (Italy)

There is a farm where nothing is as it seems, and crazy stories are told of unexpected animals. An upside-down world to explore, singing with the tone-deaf robin, dancing with Osvaldo the yellow horse and chatting early in the morning with the milk carton woodworm.

primary school* | language: Italian

A2 | La danza del folle
lecturer: Marco Barbon (Italy)

In Carl Orff's musical world, folly takes the form of dances, nonsense nursery rhymes and irresistible rhythms. Between bizarre songs and irreverent steps, chaos is transformed into a joyful sharing of crazy dancing singers!

primary school and junior high school* | language: Italian

A3 | Girotondo, cambia il mondo
lecturer: Salvatore Murru (Italy)

The voices of children and poets intertwine in an enlightening dialogue. From Rodari's upside-down logic to De André's Girotondo, where children face the absurdity of the adult world with the power of playing and singing. Because sometimes only children and fools know how to remain human.

primary school and junior high school* | language: Italian

A4 | All you need is love
lecturer: Sanna Valvanne (USA/Finland)

To be truly able of loving, we must lose ourselves in love, however crazy that may seem. The same is true of music, which is the privileged language of love and asks us to be madly in love with it, without worrying about the judgement of others; and with this strength bring peace to this world.

primary school and junior high school* | language: English

A5 | Gramelot
lecturer: David Bandelj (Italy)

The poet enjoys himself wildly, immeasurably. And with him, the musicians who delight in invented languages, phonemes at the service of music rather than meaning and reason. “Like when someone starts singing without knowing the words,” that poet would say, while we have a great time!

junior high school* | language: Italian

A6 | Dreaming the impossible
lecturer: Stephan Lutermann (Germany)

Hermann Hesse said that the impossible must be tried, again and again to reach the possible. Could this be the way to overcome our limitations? And could dreams be that place where, free from mistakes, difficulties and obstacles, we can discover how far we can go? Sing your dreams

junior high school* | language: English

A7 | The Crazy Creep Choir
lecturer: Merel Martens (The Netherlands)

With our crazy choir, we will work with groove based pop songs, improvisation and movement, tied together into a performance that celebrates the individual within the group. Every individual gets to show their inner weirdo.

junior high school* | language: English

A8 | Vertigo
lecturer: Serena Peroni (Italy)

Flying means taking risks, leaving the ground behind and challenging not only gravity but also reason. It is an act of trust and imagination. In this programme, every note lifts a fragment of the soul, every chord opens up a new horizon.

junior high school* | language: Italian

A9 | Fuori misura 
lecturer: Maria Carmela Ranieri (Italy)

Sound explorations, unexpected rhythms and bizarre vocalisations give rise to a playful, spontaneous and surprising expressiveness, where the voice meets movement and theatre. Without restraint or balance, with our feet off the ground, we launch ourselves into a sound and musical exploration of “folly”, which in Italian rhymes with irony and eccentricity. And in English with jolly.

junior high school* | language: Italian

A10 | La follia della pace
lecturer: Marianna Setti (Italy)

"Is there anything more insane than engaging in such a conflict for reasons unknown?". Erasmus asks himself about war. Yes, Erasmus, today we are the most insane, as we continue to believe in dialogue and peace and to express our vision of a different world through music and beauty.

junior high school* | language: Italian

Ateliers: How to practice?

During the festival, each choir will participate in only one workshop, unless otherwise agreed with the organisers. Upon registration, each group will have the opportunity to indicate their preferences, but the final division of choirs into workshops will be determined by the artistic direction and festival organisers based on various factors such as: composition, size of the group, previous participation in the festival, and other characteristics. The choices expressed at the time of registration are therefore to be considered indicative. The workshops are held in Italian or English, as indicated in the section dedicated to their description. No simultaneous translation service is provided by the organisation. In Montecatini Terme, each participant receives the teaching booklet for their workshop, which they must keep carefully for study during the festival.

*Which atelier can I attend?

If the choir is composed solely of primary school children or includes children under the age of 11, you must select workshop A1. You will also be asked to indicate one of workshops A2, A3 or A4 as your second choice.If the choir is composed of both primary school children and junior high-school children, you must indicate your order of preference among workshops A2, A3 and A4. If the choir consists only of junior high-school pupils, the workshops available are A5, A6, A7, A8, A9 and A10.