Anticipation is growing for the award ceremony of the honorary degree to Gigi D’Alessio tomorrow, Tuesday 30 April at 7pm in Benevento Municipal Theater. The Neapolitan singer-songwriter will be awarded the prestigious title by the Benevento Conservatory, which in recent days, through a post on Instagram, had announced the decision to honor the musician with a ceremony by virtue of the contribution made to the pop discipline of songwriting.
The three hundred tickets which can be collected free of charge from 10am to 4pm today, 29 April, at the information point of the «Nicola Sala» conservatory were sold out in just a few minutes, creating disappointment and some hints of protest from many people who were unable to obtain an invitation to attend the event. «We expected a large audience, the distribution took place in a few minutes, we imagined it. However, we are happy that there was a wait but we must consider that the Municipal Theater only has 300 seats. Benevento does not, in fact, have a larger place, with the exception of Roman Theatre, but in this period it was not possible to plan an outdoor event», the immediate comment of the director of the Benevento conservatory, Giuseppe Ilario.
An event therefore particularly heartfelt for Benevento and for fans of the artist with over 30 million records sold and ambassador of Neapolitan music in the world. For D’Alessio it is an important academic recognition that adds to the diploma in piano obtained at the «San Pietro a Majella» conservatory in Naples in what the singer has always defined as unforgettable years, first directing the Scarlatti orchestra at just 23 years old and shortly thereafter becoming Mario Merola’s pianist. A career that in 1992 will lead him to his first solo album, Let me sing, whose title explains the musician’s ambition to become a successful singer-songwriter. Only five years after his recording debut, D’Alessio managed to play at the “San Paolo” stadium in Naples, fulfilling one of his greatest dreams. «This decision demonstrates our commitment, as a Conservatory, to recognising, enhance and promote the plurality of artistic languages existing in the contemporary musical panorama» the words of director Ilario. The announcement of the title awarded to D’Alessio comes in conjunction with the launch of the new album, entitled Betweenout on May 24th and featuring the duets with Geolier, Guè, Elodie, Ernia and Alessandra Amoroso. The author of world-famous romantic ballads such as Never tell him he will also be the protagonist of seven concerts at the Plebiscito. In fact, the dates of 11 and 12 June have recently been added to the five events already scheduled on 7, 8, 9, 14 and 15 June.
The Benevento conservatory has also announced a second honorary degree, which will be awarded in mid-May to Enzo Avitabile. This was communicated by the higher education institute itself on the occasion of the concert in which Avitabile was the protagonist alongside the «Sala» Orchestra: «Gigi d’Alessio and Enzo Avitabile, each with their own style, have been able to achieve great success thanks to their ability to transform complex emotions in engaging lyrics and melodies. Their music has crossed cultural and linguistic boundaries, inspiring a sense of belonging and sharing between people of different origins and backgrounds”, commented the president of the Benevento institute Caterina Meglio.
