A long tradition, prestigious institutions, a widespread desire to learn; and a shortage, that of spaces; this is the screenshot of the Sienese musical panorama outlined at the Centotre art pizza bar in Siena, a packed setting for Aperidee or the “tastes of the future before dinner” created by Confesercenti, this time dedicated to music and those who surround it.
There were people with different experiences speaking about it: starting with Gianluca Polvere, vocalist of Deschema: “Records have been replaced by online listening, which however brings much lower compensation to the artists. The focus is increasingly on live concerts: the big names go to the stadiums and raise the prices, for the others smaller spaces are needed, which however often aren’t there.”
“For classical music and jazz, Siena has an exceptional offer, both training and spaces and events – added Valeria Mazzola, of the Rockfactory – but if you listen to or play rock the situation is very different. There is barely one stable live space, and it’s a shame because there is a truly interesting undergrowth of musicians or aspiring musicians. We have more than 200 students enrolled in our courses: the national average is 126, we are well above that.” According to Polvere, encouraging signs have been noticed in recent times: among these new entities motivated to do their part, even a small one.
“Creating opportunities to play live has been our desire ever since we moved to this space – testified Lorenzo Moggi, owner of Centotre in Siena – and out of good neighborliness we have chosen to bring the performances forward to the aperitif time. Unfortunately, venues like us have to deal with a lower tolerance on average than in the past: if music has a social value, the institutions should adopt facilities for those who choose to invest in it”.
Also present at Aperidee was Micaela Papi, who as councilor of the Municipality of Siena also has responsibility for youth policies: “We are aware of the need for space. We are working on important projects, which as such require time. ‘Social Siena’ for example, which among other things aims to make Villa Rubini Manenti a multifunctional centre, also for music. In a few days we will present the restyling of the Lizza underpass: this too could have a musical vocation in the future. Other potential is on the outskirts, I am thinking of the area of via Tolomei, where a digital facilitation point has recently opened, which could exploit pre-existing coverage. ‘Siena city of music’ is not just a slogan but a precise objective of our Mayor, which can be pursued with the contribution of everyone and the third sector in particular, perhaps through a participatory foundation”.
In the background remains the need for points of reference: “a serious stage, available to those who have the qualities – according to Daniel Van Der Fionda, deejay – and promote a better basic education in music, starting from the classrooms”. Maybe even those frequented by students like Vittoria Burchetti, voice for Uradio of a podcast on emerging bands and working on an innovative degree thesis at the University of Siena: “We are collecting data to build a platform that facilitates the meeting between musicians, venues and event organizers. Around us there are slightly larger cities that have recently done good things to encourage music, from Lucca to Empoli: here too there are young people who deserve it.”
The future tastings were followed by food tastings organized by Centotre of Siena in the spirit of Vetrina Toscana, and actual music by the acoustic duo B twice. After Siena, Aperidee’s next stop will be on July 10th in Sarteano: details on bit.ly/Aperidee or on the Confesercenti Siena website.
