For the first time, the Neapolitan Nu Folk band Ars Nova Napoli performed in Tunis as part of the international festival Les Journées Musicales de Carthage.
The band took centre stage in two concerts, held at the Cité de la Culture Chedli Klibi and on Avenue Habib Bourguiba, thanks to the support of the Directorate General for Entertainment of the Italian Ministry of Culture and the Italian Cultural Institute of Tunis. Their performance brought to life the vibrant sounds of Naples and beyond. This initiative was part of the Neapolis 2500 celebrations, a series of events both in Italy and abroad marking the 2,500th anniversary of Naples’ founding.
Since its inception in 2009, the band—comprising Marcello Squillante (accordion and vocals), Bruno Belardi (double bass), Michelangelo Nusco (violin, trumpet, and vocals), Antonino Anastasia (frame drum), Vincenzo Racioppi (mandolin and vocals), and Gianluca Fusco (guitar, accordion, and vocals)—has explored and reinterpreted a wide range of Southern Italian musical traditions. Their repertoire spans from Apulian pizzica to Sicilian serenades and Calabrian tarantella, while also incorporating Greek rebetiko and Balkan music influences.
To conclude the event, Marcello Squillante led a masterclass on Neapolitan music at the Opera Studio of the Cité de la Culture Chedli Klibi.
