‘Forty-four cats’, ‘Il Katalicammello’, ‘I wanted a black cat’. To list them all, the catchphrases churned out in sixty years of the Piccolo Coro dell’Antoniano, would never end. Choruses heard all over the world, which a few months ago also made a stop in China, selling out every concert. But it’s time to celebrate the birthday at home too, at the Celebrazioni Theatre, with the ‘Zecchino d’Oro Show’, today at 5.30pm. “It will be an interactive show – says Sabrina Simoni, director of the Piccolo Coro – in which the audience itself will be the protagonist and will be dragged into a surprising treasure hunt to find the gold coins that the Cat and the Fox stole from Pinocchio”.
Simoni, who will be on stage?
“The most loved characters, from the 44 cats to Katalicammello, to the Panda with wings. In addition to the Little Choir of 54 boys and girls, there will be the Buffycats band, the two little actors little brother and sister Gregorio and Sabina and the little anise Nunù , an exceptional mascot. I will also have a stage costume.”
Which?
“Who knows… I don’t know if you’ll recognize me.”
Sixty years of Piccolo Coro, twenty-nine of which under his direction. The first memory?
“When I think about myself 29 years ago I feel tender, I thought I was in a fairy tale.”
Were there any difficult moments?
“Not being able to have Mariele Ventre with us anymore is one of these. But also seeing the children with masks when we returned to our presence. After Covid they felt a sort of embarrassment in seeing each other again.”
A memory of the ‘Miss’?
“We were in the television studio and she asked me to be her shadow, to direct. When I did, the cameraman told me that I was the same, identical, to the young lady (as we called Mariele). I was happy, but when I told her, he looked at me and said: ‘But please, absolutely not!'”.
How did he take it?
“I didn’t understand, but now it makes me smile. He didn’t say it in a derogatory tone, he wanted me to find my dimension.”
What has changed in the last thirty years, with its direction?
“Musical atmospheres have changed, digital has made its inroads forcefully.”
And what about the teaching and direction method?
“I want to give children an educational model to follow, the harmony with the little ones and the respect have remained unchanged”.
The Piccolo Coro’s next commitments?
“On May 25th and 26th we will be at the Olympic stadium in Rome, where we will have the opportunity to meet the Holy Father, at World Children’s Day”.
Amalia Apicella
