Siena Jazz presents the JazzAble Project

1 May 2024 | JazzAble

Siena Jazz has triumphed among the winners of the PNRR “Next Generation EU” call promoted by the Italian Ministry of University and Research. The Siena-based institution has been awarded funding of €1,634,295.00, part of the over €87 million allocated nationwide, placing Siena Jazz alongside Italy’s most prestigious institutions such as the Accademia delle Belle Arti in Milan, the Conservatorio di Torino, and the Accademia di Arte e Moda in Florence.
The project JazzAble, conceived and presented by Siena Jazz, involves the Conservatorio G. Frescobaldi of Ferrara and the CPM Music Institute of Milan. It was officially unveiled during International Jazz Day on April 30 at the Complesso Museale Santa Maria della Scala in Siena, with speakers including Massimo Mazzini (President of Siena Jazz), Marina Vermiglio (General Director of Siena Jazz), Annamaria Maggese (Director of the Conservatorio Frescobaldi of Ferrara), Luca Nobis (Academic Director of CPM Music Institute), and Jacopo Guidi (Artistic Director of Siena Jazz).

International Jazz Day is a global celebration where artists and independent organizers in more than 190 countries present an extraordinary variety of performances, educational initiatives, and community engagement programs. Siena Jazz intentionally chose this symbolic day, presided over by UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay and legendary jazz pianist and composer Herbie Hancock, who has said:
“Jazz has a spirit of openness that calls on all of us to look beyond our differences, not only breaking down barriers but also promoting peace.”
JazzAble embodies this vision in its entirety.

Through this ambitious project of internationalization and cultural enhancement, Siena Jazz consolidates its role as a symbol of Italian excellence and a driver of inclusion and social development.

A milestone for Siena Jazz

The funding received represents tangible recognition of Siena Jazz’s artistic contribution and its ongoing commitment to promoting Italian culture.
Mayor Nicoletta Fabio expressed her satisfaction: “This achievement justifies the urgency with which Siena Jazz needed to respond to the call. I am very pleased and hopeful that this represents a first step toward renewal and growth for such a fundamental institution in our city.” .

President of Siena Jazz, Massimo Mazzini, added: “This excellent result rewards the efforts of our institution and the entire city. The Municipality has always been at our side, and now it is time to double our efforts. As outlined in our project, this achievement will benefit the entire community—it is a success for everyone ”.

General Director and Project Manager, Marina Vermiglio, underlined: “Despite the short timeframe, thanks to the support of the new board and the Municipality, we were able to present a solid proposal. This success marks the beginning of a new path for Siena Jazz—proof that we have responded to challenges with concrete results ”.

The project aims to:
– Strengthen Siena Jazz’s international collaborations.
– Promote mobility opportunities for students and faculty.
– Organize high-level events that will bring the name of Siena and Italy to the world’s most prestigious stages.

A unique “Blind Concert” experience

To conclude the press conference, Siena Jazz and the Fondazione Antico Ospedale Santa Maria della Scala presented the Blind Concert, a free-entry sensory experience uniting music and visual arts.

In total darkness, students from Siena Jazz performed live, offering the audience an extraordinary encounter with sound where perception is heightened and transformed. Blind musicians also took part in the concert, reinforcing its strong message of inclusion and diversity.
The performance is part of Siena Jazz’s ongoing innovation in assistive listening technologies, connected to the development of the Blind-Tag system.

Visitors also had the chance to explore the tactile exhibition route of Santa Maria della Scala, featuring tactile reliefs of artworks and monuments, created with the collaboration of local art schools, the Siena section of the Italian Union of the Blind and Visually Impaired, and Rotary Est Siena.