It may be cold, rainy or windy between Christmas and Epiphany, but fear not, we will stay warm thanks to Adrifest, the new multidisciplinary Festival taking place in Lower Molise under the joint direction of musician Luca Ciarla and visual artist Keziat.
Embracing seaside and hills, the Festival starts on December 28 and ends on January 7, featuring nine events, most of them free. Adrifest is dedicated to those who love visual arts, literature, cinema and music and are willing to enjoy top-level events in some of the region’s most attractive venues.
Luca returns to his roots after hundreds of concerts across the world; in his last tour in September his show solOrkestra enjoyed successful performances at various big festivals in the USA. He introduced Adrifest at the new Italian Culture and Innovation Hub in San Francisco, which also houses the Italian Trade Agency.
The Termoli-born violinist already produced events in his town and in Molise in the past, presenting both well-known artists and local emerging ones. Now he wants again to offer to his land the fruits of a multi-decades musical experience, rich with studies and collaborations with great international artists.
His life partner Keziat, born in San Severo, boasts exhibitions in every part of the planet and has successfully applied her talent to music, dance and theatre productions.
She conceived the collective exhibition Timeless, which opens Adrifest on December 28 in the Ex Palazzo Vescovile of Termoli and stays open until the Festival’s closure on January 7.
A first musical date is set for the 29th at the Teatro Fulvio in Guglionesi with the gritty globetrotter songwriter Peppe Voltarelli, who won the Targa Tenco award three times beween 2010 and 2021. He has played with Claudio Lolli, Teresa De Sio, Sergio Cammariere, Bandabardò and Amy Denio.
Molise band La Suonata Balorda, winners of the Fabrizio De Andrè prize in 2016, will open the evening.
The following day, back to the Ex Palazzo Vescovile, close friends of the late Enzo Caruso will gather to remember the talented Termoli engineer, who passed away in Stockholm in 2020. After New Year, Adrifest schedules two dates of full musical immersion through ll Club dell’Ascolto (The listening club) on January 2 and 4 at the Cala Sveva Beach Club; these are the only non-free events, where purchase of a drink is requested. The first features organetto player Alessandro D’Alessandro, a master of the instrument with an impressive list of high-level collaborations, including Elio and David Riondino. Beside performing his compositions he will duet with Luca before a set of the well-known duo featuring Marco Molino on marimba and clarinettist Vittorio Sabelli, who will present a Brazilian repertoire.
Two days later, violist Irida Gjergji Mero and cellist Flavia Massimo will perform their acoustic/electronic music, which stretches from the Balkans to the Mediterranean and the Middle East. Termoli poet Sebastiano Di Pardo will open the event with some of his compositions as Maurizio Perrone accompanies him on double bass.
Larino welcomes the Festival on January 3rd with accordion virtuoso Vince Abbracciante on stage at the Palazzo Ducale with his show Nocturno. Abbracciante, who is back from a tour in South America with the noted saxophonist Javier Girotto, counts accordion giant Richard Galliano among his admirers.
A discussion with Valentina Farinaccio, a writer born in nearby Campobasso who won several literary awards, is set for the 5th, again at the Ex Palazzo Vescovile, where she will present her new novel Non è al momento raggiungibile (Non available at the moment). Moderator Tina De Michele will lead the discussion about social media and their impact on our lives as portrayed by the protagonist of the novel.
In the same venue, on Epiphany, Molise Cinema will present a selection of short films dedicated to the voyage, in collaboration with Rete dei Festival dell’Adriatico. Luca closes the Festival with a concert in the Cathedral of Termoli on January 7, performing a program that revisits pieces from the sacred and spiritual tradition.
The two tireless producers have set the next appointment for the summer edition of Adrifest, from the 16th to the 24th of June 2023, when the Tremiti Islands will be among the venues of the event.
The Festival has been organized by the Cultural Association Adri|Art of Termoli, who won the Turismo è Cultura grant from the Regione Molise, with contributions from the municipalities of Termoli, Larino and Guglionesi and technical support from Violipiano Music.
The events have been produced in collaboration with Galleria Spazio Arte Petrecca, Casa Museo Stephanus, Molise Wow, Teatro del Loto, Molise di Mezzo, Mediterranea Biotecnologie, Frentania Teatri, Per il Meglio della Puglia and Molise Cinema. The Festival was presented abroad with support from the Italian Cultural Institutes of San Francisco, Chicago, Cordoba and Buenos Aires.
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Horizontal cover | Picture by Ralf Kunze
Vertical cover | Pictures by Ralf Kunze and Leonardo Thomas