Mandol’in Canto
The project was conceived with the aim of bringing into dialogue—and combining—two well-established educational and musical experiences with a strong inclusive character: the Orchestra a Plettro della Penisola Sorrentina and Le Voci del 48.
The Orchestra a Plettro della Penisola Sorrentina was founded in 2020 on the initiative of Michele de Martino, with the goal of promoting the rediscovery of the mandolin repertoire and encouraging the creation of new compositions for this type of ensemble. With a strong focus on younger generations, in October 2022 OPPS launched a completely free mandolin course for students aged 10 to 18 (OPPS Junior). This initiative seeks to address a gap in music education, as the mandolin is excluded from the list of instruments taught in lower secondary schools, resulting in a significant lack of foundational training. The project successfully brings together highly experienced teachers with young and very young musicians, fostering an intergenerational exchange rooted in tradition understood as transmission and sharing of practices and knowledge between teachers and students, united by a passion for the mandolin—an instrument of remarkable timbral and melodic versatility.
The choir Le Voci del 48 was founded in 2009 as a children’s choir within a series of initiatives promoted by the former 48th Primary School of Naples, which still operates today as a comprehensive school with a musical specialization in the eastern suburbs of the city. The complex social fabric of this area has shaped institutional choices aimed at offering targeted educational opportunities. Over the years, sustained attention has fostered both the qualitative and quantitative growth of the choir, enabling the development of an increasingly rich and articulated repertoire.
At the core of the project lies an exploration of the deep and enduring relationship between Naples and music. This bond goes far beyond common stereotypes. One could recall the ties between the city and Renaissance “art music” composers such as Orlando di Lasso, or conversely the international success of Neapolitan school composers—from Cimarosa to Traetta—who were sought after by the Russian imperial court in St. Petersburg. At the same time, Naples also nurtured musical practices that emerged from popular traditions, including villanelle and moresche, eventually leading in the nineteenth century to the Neapolitan art song. Major composers such as Stravinsky, with Pulcinella, continued to pay homage to a city whose irresistible fascination has inspired musicians across centuries.
The aim of this project is to offer a timbrally unusual perspective to retrace a small part of this history, celebrating this powerful connection through an unconventional ensemble—choir and plucked strings—capable of casting new light on Naples’ extraordinary musical legacy.
