Festival delle Colline 2012

"For those who grew up in distant lands, who pray to another God, who experiment with new ways, who were born with a different chromosome... Festival delle Colline is for you."

Some of the performers include Fatoumata Diawara from Mali, mystical Greek poets Loudovikos Ton Anogeion,  the “Lingue di fuoco” of Blastula, thel P.O.V. Quintet, l’Orchestra della Toscana and the Teatrallegria dei ragazzi di Trisomia 21, Kaki King, gypsy music Swing Dynasty, drag singer Sorelle Marinetti, rebel Africa “Chaka”, Rom as seen by Alexian and the borderline group of “Fuoricasta Rock Gala” and the prison rock band Presi per Caso.

Twelve dates from June 26-July 26 in special places in Prato: churches, old homes, museums, parks and on the road. Well known and lesser-known places in Prato, Poggio a Caiano, Carmignano, Montemurlo, Cantagallo, Vaiano and Vernio. Now in its 33rd year, the Festival starts on June 26 at the Biblioteca Lazzerini di Prato (5 euro entrance), with the amazing Fatoumata Diawara who performs a mix of jazz, blues and folk. Some of her collaborators include Dee Dee Bridgewater, Herbie Hancock and John Paul Jones.

A mystic and poet from Crete, Loudovikos Ton Anogeion, will perform on June 27 at the Chiesa di Bonistallo, Poggio a Caiano (5 euro): his themes include life, feelings and destiny. 

Friday June 29 at the Giardino Buonamici di Prato (free entrance) will celebrate the “Lingue di Fuoco” project by Blastula. Scarnoduo – Monica Demuru and Stefano Zenni – produced in 2010 and also on CD.

Tuesday July 3 at the Fabbrica Waltex Tricot in Prato, (5 euro) the music of P.O.V. QUINTET with Alessandro Paternesi. Contemporary jazz. 

Dance and music combine on July 5 at the Villa Medicea in Poggio a Caiano (8 euro) for a collaboration between the Orchestra della Toscana and Teatrallegria, which goes to support Trisomia 21, an organization that helps people with Down's Syndrome. Music by Rossini, Mahler, Petracchi and Mendelssohn.

Unusual singer, Kaki King comes from New York and performs a range of different kind of music including pop, electric, psychedelic and indie. She played with Marianne Faithfull, David Byrne, Foo Fighters, and she recently came out. July 9 at the Rocca di Carmignano (5 euro).

Tuesday July 10 at Museo Pecci di Prato (5 euro),  patchanka gypsy of Swing Dynasty, melting-pot band born on the Shanghai-Paris route. They sing in French, English, Spanish and Chinese. Imagine Django Reinhardt dining with Mano Negra, with Serge Gainsbourg on the radio…

The Marinetti Sister are not just any drag singers. "We don't care about anything" is the name of their show on July 12 at Scuderie Medicee in Poggio a Caiano (5 euro).

"Chaka”, a poetry and music performance dedicated to the Zulu king and people, created by Massimo Luconi, on July 18 at Villa Giamari di Montemurlo (5 euro), un gruppo di artisti italiani e africani.

Professor with two degrees, Alexian Santino Spinelli is a musician, writer, teacher and poet. He is also a Rom, as his music suggests. See him on July 20 in Cantagallo (5 euro).

The "Fuoricasta Rock Gala” by Massimo Altomare and Saverio Lanza will be performed on Monday July 23 at the Arena Parco Ferri in Vaiano (free entrance). Music, dialogues that interpret the voices of the homeless, writings by prisoners, drug addices. The atmostphere, despite the heavy themes, is a party. 

Thursday July 26, at the Parco of Albereta di Mercatale di Vernio (free entrance) the Presi per Caso, a musical collective formed of ex prisoners from Rebibbia. After three CDs and hundreds of concert, they bring their energy, rhythm and irony to the stage. 

Last but not least, Drusilla Foer made a video ad about the festival and the importance of the themes.

All shows begin at 21,30. Tickets are only available on the official website and can be picked up on the evening of the event without any extra expense.  www.festivaldellecolline.com 

The Festival delle Colline is organized by the Comune di Poggio a Caiano, Regione Toscana and Provincia di Prato in collaboration with the Comuni di Prato, Carmignano, Montemurlo, Vaiano, Vernio and Cantagallo. Funding comes from Cooperativa Humanitas, Estra S.p.A Prato, A.S.M S.p.A. Prato, Publiacqua, Coop-Bisenzio Ombrone. Artistic director: Silvia Bacci  for the Centro per l’arte contemporanea Luigi Pecci.