Making Music in Italy 2024

Singing and cultural immersion with locals

"Come and join us on this singing extravaganza in Italy with good food, good song, good wine and make new friends."

 Singing with three outstanding maestros and locals, staying in three stunning locations! Everyone welcome.

Week One: Montestigliano estate 

7 – 14 September: 7 nights – Staying in grand villas and beautiful apartments around the central piazza of the Montestigliano estate in the countryside of Siena.  

Day one: We will meet you in the town of Siena where you will be collected and transported to Montestigliano where the fun begins. You will receive information with our meeting place and travel tips soon after you book this event.

During our time in Montestigliano we offer you –

• Daily singing sessions with Tony Backhouse and local Italian director Edoardo Materassi
• Learn a repertoire of songs to form a combined choir with Edoardo’s acclaimed choir ‘Animae Voces’ to perform in Florence on our last night
• 2 x Tours to exquisitely beautiful Tuscan villages including Siena 
• Eat banquet meals; a magnificent welcome dinner, a fun pizza night with food that keeps on coming and other delicious and healthy meals throughout the week
• Make new friends with a shared love of community singing
• Damiano will delight you with his Italian version of karaoke and dance in the piazza

Week Two: Mercatello sul Metauro

14 – 20 September: 6 nights – Staying in the Palazzo Donati & Palazzo Ducale and villas in the medieval village of Mercatello sul Metauro 

• Singing workshop sessions with Tony Backhouse and local Italian director Guerrino Parri
• Join local singers Mercatello sul Metauro
• Tour to Urbino, and visit one of the most magnificent of the 12 great wonders of the world - Palazzo Ducale
• Eat delicious local food - in an area highly regarded by chefs from around the world
• Make new friends with a shared love of community singing

This small village has –

• beautiful and historic places of interest
• a generous and wonderful open hearted community that will be happy to talk with you regardless of language barriers
• great choirs 
• places to enjoy food, coffee and 'apertivo' around the piazza
• enchanting cobblestone alleys

Florence

20 – 22 September. Staying in a beautiful convent (Sanctuary) and taking part in a performance with a local choir

Our last couple of nights will be spent in the centre of the stunningly beautiful city of Florence.

Our Sanctuary is in easy walk to –

• all the wonderful sites of Florence including the Duomo
• shops and galleries
• markets and restaurants 

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Pictures below are taken in Palazzo Donati and the village of Mercatello sul Metuaro and the Unesco protected Palazzo Ducale, Urbino, one of the twelve great wonders of the world.

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Pictures below taken in Montestigliano

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Edoardo Materassi

"It was around 2004 when I first met Edoardo through mutual friends outside Florence, but it was to be another 13 years before I got the chance to really see him in action as a choral director. It was an easy decision to commission him as co-director of our annual Tuscany singing holiday events from that year on. He is a real master of his craft with an ability to tune into a group whether they are young or old, experts or beginners, and extract the very best in a fun and non-confronting style. He always delivers exhilarating results!"  Jennifer Richardson, curator. 

BIO: Edoardo Materassi, guitarist, composer, choir director and teacher. 

Edoardo has an impressive log of concerts both in Italy and abroad. His compositions have been performed in Italy, France, Germany, Holland and Australia. 

He has collaborated with musicians and actors such as: Vars Music, Faye Nepon, Luca di Volo, Claudia Bombardella, Annamaria Castelli, Alessandro Lanzoni, Giorgio Guiot, Carlo Pavese, Monica Bauco, Ivano Bini, Zeta Archive, Maurizio Maggiani, Ernesto De Martino Institute, Orchestra AgimusArte, Sunrise Orchestra. He collaborates as a teacher with the Cantascuola di Torino association.

Edoardo teaches harmony, choral exercises, ensemble music and guitar at numerous schools in the province of Florence. He is artistic director of the School of Music of Calenzano and is a member of the artistic commission of the Cori della Toscana Association.

He is passionate about community singing and directs the choirs: Animae Voces, Mulieris Voces, Sesto in Canto, the choir of the "P. Calamandrei "and the choir of the" Cavalcanti "Inferior Middle Schools of Sesto Fiorentino. With the choirs Animae Voces and Mulieris Voces he has been awarded at various competitions. He also directs youth choirs "Na' Ara Vocal Ensemble" and "Menura Vocal Ensemble" and often works with the successful childrens' choir Piccolo coro Melograno from Florence. (piccolocoromelograno.it)  

We have invited Edoardo to work with us as a choir director on multiple singing holiday events in Italy since 2017.

"I have had the great pleasure of participating in a number of The Create Escape Singing events in Italy over the years.  A highlight was singing under the directorship of Edoardo Materassi. His vocal warm-up techniques and his passion for choral singing is truly infectious. After just a few short days, he had us singing Italian, African and Macedonian songs, all taught with encouragement and ease. He is nurturing and just a bundle of positive energy and FUN!  Can't wait to sing with him again!" Jules Damian

"I'd go anywhere in the world to sing with Edoardo again" Lorraine Melanson

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Guerrino Parri

Artistic Director and Lecturer at the Cultural Project "L'Albero dei Suoni" The Tree of Sounds
Artistic director at Musica & Musica Mercatello
Choir director at Coro Polifonico Icense, Mercatello
Lives in Mercatello sul Metauro

Guerrino is an exceptional 'maestro', passionate about choral music and a meticulous director. He teaches a multi-genre mix of music ranging from Italian traditional and folkloric to African and Macedonian. Guerrino connects us with his delightfully enthusiastic choristers who live in the village of Mercatello.




Testimonials

" Rich and deeply restorative, fun and inspiring."- Shelley Kenigsberg

" SINGING IN SIENA in Montestigliano. A beautiful week full of rich experiences. In the most magical location!
Both directors were fun and inspiring and it was lovely to have the new dynamic of Edoardo's teaching to balance with Tony's. A week is a long time to be singing with one director, so I thought it was a great idea to share it between two.."- Maegan Young

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