The second edition of “AIR – Artists in Residence” was officially launched today at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation; the project was devised by MIDJ – Associazione Musicisti italiani di Jazz (Italian jazz musicians association), and realised with the support of the Italian Society of Authors and Publishers (“SIAE”) and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation. Thanks in part to the participation of the Europe Jazz Network, the project aims to promote Italian jazz abroad through the creation of a network of residences for young musicians at Embassies, Consulates and the Italian Cultural Institutes throughout the world.
The first edition of the AIR project, which was held in 2018, was a fundamental step in the path of personal and professional growth of the young musicians involved, and helped make Italian jazz more widely known abroad through interaction and contacts between artists, in a creative exchange of experiences.
Gaetano Blandini, Director General of the SIAE, represented by its Manager for cultural promotion, Danila Confalonieri said “The importance of our talented young musicians interacting with the international musical scene has been central to the cultural policies of SIAE in recent years. A project like AIR – Artists in Residence – epitomises what we have at heart: giving young people the opportunity to train in the field through the unique experience of spending a study period abroad, just as our “Italia Music Export” office helps Italian composers to go beyond the national boundaries to make their excellent skills more widely known. Thanks to AIR, our jazz players can maximise their opportunity to broaden their vision in a world of continuous change, like the world of music in general, and the world of jazz in particular, an area in which SIAE has always had a keen interest”.
After the success of the first edition, the 2020 edition of AIR – Artists in Residence has been boosted by the entry of Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation as one of its partners and supporters. The residences of the 20 young musicians selected will be for a period of four weeks in 2020, and will be organised and supported by Embassies and Cultural Institutes in 20 cities in the world: Addis Ababa, Amman, Ankara, Budapest, Mexico City, Copenhagen, Dakar, Helsinki, Cairo, Lima, Lisbon, Montréal, Paris, Santiago, Sofia, Stockholm, Tirana, Tokyo, Toronto and Vienna.
Lorenzo Angeloni, Director General for the Promotion of the Italian Economic System of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation said “We are very happy to be able to help develop and contribute towards the success of this project along with SIAE and MIDJ. Our Embassies and Cultural Institutes will once again open their doors to young Italians with talent in culture, in this case jazz, and make their professional skills and local contacts available to organise workshops, jam sessions and concerts. We would therefore like to offer the emerging musicians great opportunities for growth while simultaneously promoting the contemporary creativity of our country abroad”.
The 20 musicians who won AIR 2020 are all aged between 18 and 40, and come from 18 regions in Italy: Simone Alessandrini, Lazio; Andrea Bazzicalupo, Liguria; Rosa Amalia Brunello, Veneto; Antonio D’Agata, Molise; Damian Dalla Torre, Trentino Alto Adige; Luca Di Battista, Abruzzo; Giuseppe Dimonte, Basilicata; Francesco Fratini, Lazio; Simone Garino, Piemonte; Marta Giulioni, Marche; Federica Lipuma, Sicily; Federico Milone, Campania; Domenico Napoli, Calabria; Pietro Paris, Umbria; Federico Pierantoni, Emilia Romagna; Giancarlo Pirro, Puglia; Daniele Raimondi, Friuli Venezia Giulia; Nicolò Francesco Ricci, Lombardy; Michelangelo Scandroglio, Toscana; Daniela Spalletta, Sicily.
The participation by EJN, Europe Jazz Network in the project could offer further opportunities for exchange. As noted by Giambattista Tofoni, General Manager of the Europe Jazz Network “Our European network is delighted to support the AIR project and we will take a front-line commitment for this edition. Extraordinary things are happening in the world of Italian creative music. The synergy being exhibited by public institutions, artists and the music industry is all going in the right direction: to strengthen the entire jazz ecosystem. Finally, many Italian artists are gracing global stages, festivals are sharing projects and partnerships and the Italian jazz scene is visible all over the world, something that would have been unthinkable just a few years ago. There is still a lot to do, but the path taken is the right one”.
As noted by musician and President of the MIDJ, Simone Graziano, represented by Ada Montellanico “AIR is the most important opportunity for Italian jazz musicians to enter into contact with the various musical realities throughout the world. This is an extraordinary way to expand their artistic awareness and bring back a new vision of music to Italy and communities. We sincerely thank the SIAE and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation for enabling us to create this unique experience in the world”.
