Approximately 500 students have responded to Riccardo Muti’s invitation to take part in the summer tour with the Orchestra Giovanile Luigi Cherubini.

The student who are aged between 14 and 33 come from Tuscany, Campania and Apulia.  The responses come after the launch of the initiative in recent months.

Muti said in a statement, “My invitation goes to Italy at its finest, to fill its historic places and experience them through culture. I wanted the musicians of my Orchestra Giovanile Luigi Cherubini to work side by side with Conservatoire students, without distinction, because music is learned above all through sharing. Playing together means listening to one another, respecting one another, and taking on a shared responsibility. We have chosen works by composers who gave Italy a recognisable voice throughout the world. Verdi, Puccini, Rossini, Mascagni, Leoncavallo, Rota and Catalani are not merely great names in our musical history: they are part of a civilisation capable of expressing beauty, thought and depth. This music reminds us that Italy has had, and can continue to have, a fundamental role in building a shared cultural consciousness. Culture must not be reserved for a few, but belongs to everyone. Young people are the primary custodians of this heritage and have the task of safeguarding it with seriousness and passion. Believing in music today means believing in the future of our country.”

The musical program for the three evenings, which will be held at the Amphitheatre of the Pompeii Excavations, Piazza Napoleone in Lucca as part of the Lucca Summer Festival, and at the Foro Boario in Ostuni, will celebrate the great Italian symphonic and operatic tradition. The Orchestra Giovanile Luigi Cherubini, founded by Riccardo Muti in 2004, represents one of the most significant educational programmes in the international music scene.

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