27.07-25.10.2026 Living Music

LIVING MUSIC - A network of artistic residencies across homes, communities, and new creations in Cortina and the province of Belluno, connecting the mountains with a European dimension

Living Music was conceived as an experimental project of house concerts and distributed artistic residencies, with the aim of fostering meaningful connections between artists, local residents, and the territory through music. The initiative stems from a simple reflection: the quality of our relationships profoundly shapes what we are able to create together.

Scheduled from 29 July to 25 October 2026, the project unfolds across Cortina d’Ampezzo, Belluno, and several locations throughout the province, bringing music into private homes, gardens, museums, churches, auditoriums, and other places of particular significance within the Dolomite region. Its goal is to build a lasting network of local residents and host families, gradually transforming culture into a shared, participatory, and widely accessible experience.

Fiamma Velo, a pianist and composer who grew up in Cortina d’Ampezzo, is the resident artist of the project. The initiative is promoted by IXDeae APS (Novae DeaE) and curated by Mirko Gragnato, recipient of the European Parliament's Charlemagne Youth Prize. The project has received the patronage of the European Commission, the Consulate General of Japan in Milan, the Veneto Region, and the Province of Belluno. It is carried out in collaboration with Europe Direct Venezia Veneto of the Municipality of Venice, Europe Direct Montagna Veneta del GAL Prealpi Dolomiti, the Municipality of Belluno, the Italian Ministry of Culture, ULSS 1 Dolomiti Healthcare Authority,CTRP San Gervasio, the Belluno Day Care Centre, and local services engaged in care, inclusion, and rehabilitation pathways.

On the centenary of the rediscovery of Antonio Vivaldi’s manuscripts, now preserved at the National University Library of Turin, Living Music places special emphasis on the figure of Antonio Vivaldi, not only as a central composer in the musical history of Venice and the Veneto region, but also as a truly European figure. Vivaldi can be seen as a European long before the age of Schengen. His music transcended the borders of the Republic of Venice, crossed the Alps, and circulated through courts, chapels, libraries, and musical centres across eighteenth-century Europe, becoming a shared cultural language long before Europe took shape as a political and institutional entity. In this sense, Vivaldi serves as a symbolic figure for Living Music: a Venetian composer capable of speaking to Europe while demonstrating how culture can anticipate institutions by building bridges, relationships, and a shared sense of belonging through the circulation of ideas, repertoires, and people. Throughout the artistic residencies and distributed concerts, references to Vivaldi’s work will be woven into programmes alongside classical, contemporary, and newly commissioned repertoire, creating a dialogue between historical memory and present-day creativity. The aim is not to offer a purely commemorative celebration, but rather to transform this centenary into an opportunity for research, public engagement, cultural production, and the development of new local, European, and international networks.

The figure of Vivaldi offers an opportunity to reflect on the role of culture in the making of Europe. Long before the establishment of European institutions, political agreements, and contemporary freedom of movement, it was the arts, music, books, performers, and manuscripts that helped create a shared European cultural space. Living Music seeks to highlight this perspective by connecting Vivaldi’s legacy with themes such as European citizenship, cultural cooperation, artistic mobility, and the role of local communities in shaping a common European identity.

Per maggiori informazioni:
Europe Direct del Comune di Venezia
Via Spalti 28, Mestre-Venezia
numero verde gratuito 800 496200
e-mail: infoeuropa@comune.venezia.it
www.facebook.com/EuropeDirectVenezia
www.twitter.com/EuropeDirectVe
www.instagram.com/europe_direct_venezia/