June 28th, 2019
A letter from Brussels: "We are happy to inform you that your proposal has been selected to review the European co-funding. etc"...
How to describe the excitement of reading such words, of seeing your efforts so rewarded...?
The fact that the European Community believes that the Festival Zelioli deserves to continue along the path it has been following for thirty years, is of greatest satisfaction.
In accordance with our values and objectives, we have joined forces with other European partners: the EMJ association from Flanders (European Music Festival for Young People), Csiperò (Future of Europe Interational Children and Youth Meeting Kecskemét) from Hungary and the Universitas Cantat in Poznan (Poland). With them we will share, in a very privileged way, the path aimed at promoting the beauty of choral music and its extraordinary potential to unite people and peoples of Europe.
The WeBEUnited project has been selected as one of the 87 winning projects in the European call for proposals, out of 285 that passed the selection process, and is therefore receiving an important financial contribution through the "Creative Europe" programme.
The project proposed by us and our partners was convincing in its promotion of transnational culture and its focus on the training of young artists with the aim of increasing their career opportunities.
Above all, however, the aim of building bridges across borders, involving, in a cooperative pan-European perspective, also Balkan nations that are not yet part of the big European family, but will soon be welcomed into the Europe of Peoples, proved to be a winning one.
In fact, each of the partners is to invite to their respective festivals a choir and a composer from four Balkan countries that have applied to join the EU. Together, the partners and guests have produced an original composition reflecting the culture of their country; these compositions will be presented and sung by all the choirs participating in the above-mentioned Festivals.
The Festival Zelioli has chosen a choir and a composer from Bosnia and Herzegovina.
This is precisely what allowed us to meet the Choir PONTANIMA of Sarajevo, ambassador of a truly extraordinary history (check it out on related news).
It is well known that European funds struggle to land on Italian soil, yet we are witness to the fact that projects of human and cultural value such as the "Festival Zelioli" are rewarded.
Thanks to the passion and tenacity of the volunteers and the Harmonia Gentium committee, first and foremost its President Cav. Raffaele Colombo, this year too our beloved city of Lecco will be "decorated" by the presence (even virtual) of young singers from all over Europe...
We are looking forward to starting a collaboration that will see us engaged in the near future, which we are sure will bear much fruit.
Hurray for music; Hurray for young people; Hurray for Europe.
The Zelioli Festival Committee