“Green” Umbria in the heart of Italy but also in the soul with the summer performing arts festival Suoni Controvento, promoted by the Umbrian Association of Song and Author Music, associated with AssoConcerti, with the support of the Ministry of Culture, Umbria Region , Perugia Foundation and Cassa di Risparmio di Terni and Narni Foundation, which returns again this year and cuts the ribbon on the eighth edition. The program will be long and rich and will include music with concerts at high altitude, in the valley and in the suggestive corners scattered inside and outside the characteristic villages of the region, theatre, dance, gaming for adults and children, without forgetting the literary walks with “Books on the move” and the “evening discoveries in Umbria” with routes immersed in uncontaminated nature and full of noteworthy views.
All in line with respect for the environment and sustainability. In fact, thanks also to the partnership with Fattoria Creativa and Regusto, the festival follows the carbon footprint certification process, which allows the overall carbon footprint to be calculated and then to offset CO2 emissions through the use of impact credits blockchain certificates generated by Regusto. An idea to educate and promote sustainability, the reduction of carbon dioxide emissions and climate-changing gases. Not only that, thanks to the use of a specifically chosen technical setup, the events are organized in such a way as to embellish and never disfigure the hosting place in the slightest, protecting it in every possible detail. Another objective of the festival is the search for clean energy which has led to a collaboration with a major player in the sector, the Hera Group, which has always been attentive to sustainability, the circular economy and innovation.
Furthermore, for the first time, the collaboration “Rai Umbria and Suoni Controvento 2024 for the social” is born, a project which will be divided into four moments of reflection and discussion on current issues and topics of great social sensitivity, with the aim of involving and inform the public not only through the arts. The events, which will feature important guests, fall within the scope of the “Let’s start again from the territories” project and will all have free entry. The topics touched on are: disability, sustainability, peace and legality.
Assisi, Campello sul Clitunno, Corciano – new entry for this 2024 – Costacciaro, Fossato di Vico, Gualdo Tadino, Gubbio, Montefalco, Narni, Norcia, Pietralunga, San Gemini, San Venanzo, Scheggia e Pascelupo, Sigillo, Spello, Spoleto, Stroncone , Terni and Trevi are the 20 municipalities that will be contaminated by the Umbria festival. Protagonists of high-level names but also emerging talents who will perform in site-specific locations designed for their respective artistic projects, thus enhancing the territory in all its beauty, promoting, at the same time, slow tourism, from 9 July to 8 September. Among the many, international guests are also expected such as the historic Jethro Tull guitarist Martin Barre and the Australian singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Xavier Rudd, but also the duo Ginevra Di Marco and Franco Arminio, Lauryyn, Massimo Silverio, Cristiano De André, Mr. Rain, Fabrizio Moro, Daniele Silvestri, Raiz, Tullio De Piscopo.
The presentation of the 2024 edition was held at Palazzo Donini in Perugia on Monday 17 June in the presence of Lucia Fiumi and Gianluca Liberali (Suoni Controvento), the president of the Umbria Region Donatella Tesei, the regional councilor for the environment Roberto Morroni, the general director of the Perugia Foundation Fabrizio Stazi and the director of the regional headquarters for Rai Umbria Giovanni Parapini. Also in the room were numerous representatives of the municipalities and associations involved in the festival.
In thanking all the institutions and organizations that support the festival, Lucia Fiumi, president of Aucma, recalled that the network of municipalities has further expanded with new entries, such as that of Corciano: «Suoni Controvento is increasingly a regional festival that enriches with important projects and collaborations such as the one with Rai Umbria which allows us to continue to touch on important issues such as sustainability and the 2030 Agenda in general”.
President Donatella Tesei spoke of an “extraordinary” festival that she wanted to support from the beginning because it “showcases the true spirit of Umbria”. «The support for Suoni Controvento – you continued – as far as I’m concerned will be guaranteed also in the future because we always pursue quality and there is never anything taken for granted or banal, it is a continuous discovery. The involvement of the municipalities was also positive, growing again this year, as was the involvement of Rai. The fact that the theme of disability is also being developed within the festival, which will see Umbria at the center of the world thanks to the first G7 on inclusion and disability, makes me happy.”
The director of the regional headquarters Giovanni Parapini then spoke on the panels that will be organized with Rai Umbria: «We have joined Suoni Controvento, including it within our project “Let’s start again from the territories”, because it is an event that contains all the fundamental values of the public service, unites people, is inclusive and speaks of the territory that hosts it. This year we have expanded the collaboration by also involving Rai for Sustainability and Rai for Public Utilities to discuss social issues through panels. Twenty highly prestigious speakers with absolute gender equality in compliance with the “No Women no panel” protocol moderated by three Rai journalists”.
The general director Fabrizio Stazi underlined that the festival «brings together all the founding elements of our mission, including art and culture». «We also appreciate the festival’s ability to build alliances – he added – as well as its attention to issues such as those related to the environment and sustainability».
Finally, Gianluca Liberali illustrated the program, with many new features. The artistic director highlighted the attention to the multidisciplinary nature of the festival, which this year also touches on other art forms such as dance at altitude. «Ours is a billboard that is always influenced by what the places and territories we travel through tell us» he stated.
The complete program: www.suonicontrovento.com
