Music has crossed borders, generations and cultures. On 8 October 2026, the international project HARMONIE – Artistic Hub for Musical Networking and Opportunities for New Generations in Europe reached its grand finale in Prague. The project, led by the Arturo Toscanini Conservatory of Music in Ribera, Sicily, was co-funded by the European Union under the COMM-IT-GRANT 2025 call.
“A Musical Journey from Sicily to Prague: Traditions in Dialogue”
Hybernia Theatre – Prague 8 October 2026
You can watch in this short video the great success of the concert.
The Hybernia Theatre welcomed a packed audience, with sustained applause throughout the evening. The stars of the event were the soloists and the Symphony and Jazz Orchestra of the Toscanini Conservatory, alongside Italian and Czech artists, under the musical direction of Maestro Walter Attanasi.
The event opened with speeches by H.E. Alessandro Gaudiano, Ambassador of Italy to Prague, and Maestro Mariangela Longo, Director of the Toscanini Conservatory, in the presence of representatives of the Czech Government, the Ministry of Culture, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Czech Parliament.
Special guest: Etta Scollo, presenting her celebrated project “Canta Ro’ – A Tribute to Rosa Balistreri”. The tribute was further enriched by a photographic exhibition curated by the Alberto Favara Centre for Folk Studies and its President, Pino Apprendi, who attended the event.
Alongside the rich musical heritage of Sicily, the event showcased the voices and creativity of Czech culture, featuring poet Jiří Žáček, composer and performer Karel Mařík, and young Czech artists. The programme brought together classical traditions, folk music, jazz, pop-rock and contemporary musical languages, creating a vibrant dialogue between cultures and generations.
THE PROGRAMME
I. TRADITIONS TRANSFORMED INTO JAZZ
- Ligonziana (Nino Ippolito – version by Giacomo Tantillo, arrangement by Alberto Maniaci)
- Vitti na Crozza (Traditional Sicilian song – arrangement by Luca Nostro)
- Cu ti lu dissi (Traditional Sicilian song – arrangement by Angelo Di Leonforte)
II. A TRIBUTE TO ROSA BALISTRERI
- Cu ti lu dissi (Traditional Sicilian song – arrangement by Jan-Peter Klöpfel)
- U cunigghiu (Traditional Sicilian song – arrangement by Peter Hinderthür)
- Corro con Te (Text: Ibn Ḥamdīs, Italian translation by Alfredo Giuliani; music by Etta Scollo and Peter Hinderthür)
- Un solo bacio (Text: Ibn At-Tûbî, Italian translation by Toti Scialoja; music by Etta Scollo; arrangement by Jan-Peter Klöpfel)
- Rosa canta e cunta (Rosa Balistreri – arrangement by Ferdinand von Seebach)
- Lu focu di la paglia (Traditional Sicilian song – arrangement by Julian Maas)
- A curuna (Traditional Sicilian song – arrangement by Julian Maas)
III. ZPOVĚĎ – CONFESSION
Music by Karel Mařík, lyrics by Jiří Žáček.
Soloists:
- Labuť letí / The Swan Flies
- Ofélie / Ophelia
- Sonet o věrném příteli / Sonnet for a Faithful Friend
- Chybíš mi / I Miss You
IV. SENZA FRONTIERE – WITHOUT BORDERS
- Rozkoš Života / The Joy of Life (Karel Mařík)
ARTISTIC TEAM AND PERFORMERS
Artistic and Scientific Direction: Mariangela Longo
Production Management: Simone Piraino, Angelo Di Leonforte and Luca Nostro
Performers:
- Walter Attanasi – Conductor
- Etta Scollo – Vocals and guitar
- Giacomo Tantillo – Jazz trumpet
- TJDE – Toscanini Jazz Department Ensemble
- Karel Mařík – Accordion
- Kristýna Peterková – Vocals
- Viktorie Surmová – Vocals
- Bohouš Josef – Vocals
The Symphony and Jazz Orchestra of the Arturo Toscanini Conservatory of Ribera performed in collaboration with the Prague Conservatory of Music and the Czech Virtuosi.
The TJDE – Toscanini Jazz Department Ensemble also played a key role in the event, alongside faculty members and students from the Department of New Technologies and Musical Languages.
HARMONIE: MUSIC AS A SHARED EUROPEAN LANGUAGE
The Prague concert marked the culmination of an international journey built on artistic exchange, cultural dialogue and collaboration between Italian and Czech musicians. Through the encounter between Sicilian musical traditions and Czech creativity, HARMONIE demonstrated how music can connect different identities, inspire new generations and build lasting relationships across Europe.
A project that celebrates the richness of cultural diversity and reaffirms the power of music as a universal language, capable of bringing people together beyond all borders.
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