A partnership between the Istituto Musicale Sammarinese and the Abu Dhabi Youth Orchestra and Choir brought young musicians from the United Arab Emirates to San Marino for a week of study, rehearsals and cultural exchange, culminating in a gala concert on October 16 at the Teatro Concordia in Borgo Maggiore. San Marino Rtv reported the information.
The project, held under the patronage of the Secretary of State for Education and Culture, united 78 musicians on stage, including 62 students and 16 teachers from both institutions. The combined ensemble was led by conductors Massimiliano Messieri and Aldo Dotto, with choir masters Fausto Giacomini and Isabel Maria Canada Luna.
The program opened with the national anthems of both countries and featured works by Gastoldi, Haydn, Saint-Saens, Sibelius and Ravel. Abu Dhabi cellist Antonio Marco Iuppa performed as soloist in Haydn’s C major Concerto, and the concert closed with a tribute to Ennio Morricone.
The packed theater greeted the students with sustained applause. The initiative was conceived by Valentina Tura, a former student of the Sammarinese institute now living in the UAE, who served as a bridge between the two schools and played double bass in the orchestra.
Institute president Giacomo Volpinari said the students demonstrated that differences of language, culture and origin can become a single voice, reflecting the deepest purpose of a public music school.
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