Mediagallery:

Noa, Toquinho, Enzo Avitabile, Eugenio Bennato, Bungaro, Franco Mussida, Rossana Casale, Patrizio Fariselli (Area) and Stefano Fariselli, Ziad Trabelsi, Theofilo Chantre among the stars of Effetto Venezia 2024

Peppe Vessicchio, Red Ronnie, Garrison, Dolcenera, Francesco Tricarico, Papiro and others among the guests invited by the artistic director Grazia Di Michele on the main stage at Piazza del Luogo Pio

Livorno, 10/07/24. Today the 39^th edition of Effetto Venezia was presented, the summer festival in Livorno held in the distinctive Venezia Nuova district and dedicated this year to “World Music”. Present at the press conference were the mayor of the city of Livorno Luca Salvetti, Rocco Garufo, councillor for tourism and commerce, the cultural councillor Simone Lenzi, the singer-songwriter Grazia Di Michele, artistic director of the event, and Adriano Tramonti, head of event organisation for the LEM Foundation.

Over one hundred sixty concerts, talks, special projects, musical contests, recitals, seminars, street performances, and exhibitions are set for an Effetto Venezia 2024 that is announced, even before starting, as a record-breaking edition in terms of numbers and the quality of the artistic-musical and entertainment offerings.

Singer-songwriters, bands, refined interpreters of South American, ethnic, classical, jazz, and rock music will perform in Livorno. Musicians from nearby or far will “occupy” the Fortresses, squares, bridges, courtyards, streets, and historic buildings of the Venezia district, one of the most picturesque in the city, to create a memorable event.

At the core of it all is the common thread that connects each proposal through the theme chosen by the artistic director Grazia Di Michele: “World Music. Sounds of Land and Sea”.

Artists of the calibre of Noa, Toquinho, Enzo Avitabile, Eugenio Bennato, Bungaro, Franco Mussida, Rossana Casale, Patrizio Fariselli (Area) and Stefano Fariselli, Ziad Trabelsi, Theofilo Chantre and many others will be the protagonists of the musical “full immersion” that for five days will transform Livorno into a capital of music.

In addition to these, on the stages of Effetto Venezia, emerging singers and groups of great talent, classical and jazz orchestras, performances by street artists are expected, while leading figures of the musical world, from Peppe Vessicchio to Red Ronnie, will engage in discussions on cultural and contemporary musical themes.

“World music is what contaminates everywhere, in a healthy way, the creation and listening to other music – stated Grazia Di Michele on the occasion of her presentation as artistic director of Effetto Venezia 2024 – Starting from this, I thought to bring to life a lineup of artists who come from this ‘elsewhere’, but also includes those Italians who have made contamination their very precise stylistic signature. This year’s subtitle, ‘Sounds of Land and Sea’, was inspired by Livorno as one of those places that are on the mainland but have the sea in front and are therefore always ready to welcome, to mix and be mixed”.

As usual, the organisation of the festival has been entrusted to the Fondazione LEM – Livorno Euro Mediterranea, the operational arm of the City of Livorno for the organisation of major tourism-oriented events.

There are a total of 18 areas of performance, starting from Piazza del Luogo Pio which will serve as the “main stage”. Here both talks with guests who will converse with Grazia Di Michele (the aforementioned Peppe Vessicchio and Red Ronnie and then Roberta Giallo, Papiro, Francesca De Fazi, Garrison, Marco Bruciati), and concerts and other performances will take place: from Noa to Enzo Avitabile, from Eugenio Bennato to Dolcenera, from Ziad Trabelsi to Matthew Lee passing by Francesco Tricarico.

The two Livornese Fortresses will also host stages, as usual. In Fortezza Nuova will perform Bungaro, Eleonora Bianchini, Toquinho & Camilla Faustino, Pamela D’Amico, Teofilo Chantre, Franco Mussida and Rossana Casale.

In Fortezza Vecchia there will be the Collective T.E.M.P.O., Patrizio Fariselli (Area) and Stefano Fariselli, two proposals from the Mascagni Festival – one of which will feature a performance by Stefania Sandrelli – and the show by Mayor Von Frinzius directed by Lamberto Giannini.

Other performance locations will be the Little Fishermen’s Square, the Scali delle Barchette Square, Domenicani Square, Legnami Square, Huigens Palace, the Vertigo Theatre, the Santa Caterina Church and, a brand new addition, an area inside the Courthouse.

Here, projections of Effetto Vintage, the original project by Marco Bruciati and the 8mmezzo association on behalf of the LEM Foundation and the City of Livorno, will take place: an open call to owners of film and magnetic tapes (VHS, MiniDV, Hi8, VhsC, etc.) who have filmed past editions of Effetto Venezia. The goal is to return the collected material to the city through a montage film that will be shown at a future event.

The Vertigo Theatre will host semi-finals and the finale of the Effetto canto contest, a regional competition open to singers, singer-songwriters, and bands aged between 15 and 35 years. The prize includes direct admission to the world final of the Performer Italian Cup 2024, and the national final of the First Championship of Scenic/Sportive Arts, which merges art and sport. The championship is managed by FIPASS, the International Federation of Scenic/Sportive Performer Arts, an association created to raise awareness of the role of scenic-sportive performers through the Pass Method, which materialises its action.

An absolute novelty this year will be the use of three of the bridges that span the canals of the district – the Marble Bridge, the Venezia Bridge and the Domenicani Bridge – as performance locations for further performances and street artist incursions. This is a way to make the event even more engaging in its outdoor spaces, giving it a fun and somewhat irreverent atmosphere that the frequent visitors of Effetto Venezia have greatly appreciated in the past two editions.

Very original is the proposal by multi-instrumentalist Beppe Scardino and street artist Ninjart who will create a mural dedicated to Piero Ciampi set to his songs.

Another 120 parking spaces have been added for residents in the area of the Quattro Mori. Here, letters A, B, and E will be able to park from 18:00 – 09:00.

This year, too, the shuttle service by Autolinee Toscane will be active, departing from the car parks adjacent to the Amedeo Modigliani Forum for transport to and from Effetto Venezia with a schedule from 18:30 – 02:30

To reach the Venezia district by bus, it will be possible to use the 21 and 22 lines of Autolinee Toscane free of charge.

The entire daily programme is available at www.effettovenezia.it

“I am extremely satisfied with the programme that has been put together by the artistic director,” stated mayor Luca Salvetti – “2024 is the sixth Effetto Venezia realised by this administration, the first two of which were under the pandemic, when we were the only ones in Italy, along with Rimini, to hold events. With the subsequent editions, we have chosen the formula of opening up to the national level through themes of broad scope. Last year it was Cinema, now it is Music in its further declination of ‘World Music’: a specification that speaks of communities that move and meet. For the rest, Effetto Venezia remains the same: a festival dedicated to the people of Livorno and visitors from Tuscany and beyond.”

Councillor Rocco Garufo stated: “What I find truly remarkable is the artistic quality that can be appreciated in this year’s programme. As always, the entire district has been highlighted, with particular reference to commerce and the productive activities within it. Thanks go to the LEM Foundation for the formidable work of organising events so important and complex, and to the offices of Tourism of the City of Livorno that support this activity”

Cultural Councillor Simone Lenzi highlighted: “Music is a connotative language: by playing I cannot tell you what I had for dinner, but I can convey the emotional tone of that dinner. From this perspective, music is preverbal and thus sharable by all. Words often divide us, while music creates a space in which everyone can meet. Never more than in this historical moment is the possibility of creating a sound space that is a ‘home’ for everyone not only important from the point of entertainment, but also from a distinctly political standpoint.”

“The things of which I am most satisfied to date are the trust that has been accorded to me by the administration and the work carried out with the LEM Foundation team that has accompanied me step by step, but leaving me free, in the construction of the programme,” said artistic director Grazia Di Michele – “I also thank the Venezia district, welcoming and a source of inspiration to envisage it filled with music and people. I aimed for a programme where music can entertain but also reflect through the concerts themselves, the talks, the meetings, the seminars. I also considered the Livorno subjects. For this reason, I knocked on the door of the Mascagni Conservatory, I related with the T.E.M.P.O. collective, with the music training schools. I also thought of them and the younger ones for the music contest that will take place at the Vertigo Theatre and which will have as a prize participation in the national and world championships of the FIPAS method of the Coni, which has opened doors just a few years ago not only to athletes but also to performers of scenic arts.”

“With as many as 18 areas of performance and 160 shows present in the district, we will beat the record set in the first year of Covid under the direction of Francesca Ricci,” stated Adriano Tramonti of the LEM Foundation – “With the increase in parking spaces for residents, we will minimise the inconvenience for the people of Livorno, with free bus lines and the shuttles of Autolinee Toscane, we will facilitate access to the event for non-residents