Double open call for the fifth edition of Mittelyoung

Mittelfest seeks young artists and also new curatores

Young Mitteleuropean artists and young curatores wanted: for the fifth edition of Mittelyoung, two open calls are being launched to involve more and more young people in a project created to enhance and support the creativity, talent and expressive capacity of the new generations.

Thursday 12 December opens the international call dedicated to Mitteleuropean companies and artists under 30, called to submit theatre, music, dance and circus performances dedicated to Tabù (Taboo), the theme chosen by Artistic Director Giacomo Pedini for 2025.

“Taboos – Pedini explains – are the unwritten laws on which the fascinating and fearsome magic of our varied world rests, they define the unspoken rules with which humanity endows itself. And what taboos do we live in our latitudes and in this time? What enigmas, pains, allegiances, prohibitions and desires, limits, dreams or fears mark our boundaries?”

Since the first edition, at Mittelyoung it is young people who evaluate the artistic proposals of their peers dedicated to Taboo: all applications, in fact, will be examined by a group of curatores (curators), who are also under 30.

“Starting again with Mittelyoung is always one of the most exciting moments of the Mittelfest journey – Pedini comments – the open call has now become a focus of attention and a concrete opportunity to emerge for young artists from Central Europe and the Balkan countries.

We are very satisfied with this year’s novelty, that is, that the curatorial group will open up further: in addition to the young people selected thanks to the collaboration with Mittelyoung’s partners in the area, we will also give other young people under the age of 30 years a chance to join this adventure, which represents a real training path in live performance”.

Curatores have to select the 9 shows that will make up the programme of Mittelyoung (in Cividale from 15 to 18 May 2025) and, subsequently, the three winning titles that will be back on stage at Mittelfest from 18 to 27 July: in addition to Pedini’s support in the meetings useful for the selection, the young curators will also have the opportunity to follow a series of important webinars with other Italian and European artistic directors, which can be listened to on the Spotify Mittelpod 2.0 channel and can also be accessed from the new Mittelfest website.

The call for curatores also opens on 12 December (and closes on 12 January) and is open to 18-30 year olds.

“Not only that: after the success of the 2024 edition – Pedini continues – also this year, alongside the curatores, an international jury of experts will judge the shows on stage, with the aim of accompanying and supporting the growth of artists who, despite being young, arrive in Cividale with mature show proposals.”

Both calls can be found on the mittelfest.org website, which has just been redesigned in terms of aesthetics and navigation.

Mittlelyoung open call closes on 12 February 2025 and is addressed to artists from Albania, Austria, Belarus, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Estonia, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Kosovo, Latvia, Lithuania, Moldova, Montenegro, Netherlands, North Macedonia, Poland, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Switzerland, Ukraine.

Coordinated by Mittelfest Artistic Director, the group of curatores 2025 is formed thanks to the collaboration of Accademia Eleonora Duse Centro Sperimentale di Cinema e Arti Performative, Associazione culturale Arearea, Conservatorio Statale di Musica Giuseppe Tartini di Trieste, Conservatorio Statale di Musica Jacopo Tomadini di Udine, Fondazione Luigi Bon, University of Trieste, University of Udine, SNG Nova Gorica (Slovenia), Associazione culturale Circo all ‘incirca, Convitto Nazionale Paolo Diacono, Istituto Tecnico Arturo Malignani, Scuola di Danza Erica Bront, Teatro Club Udine – Palio Teatrale Studentesco.

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UFFICIO STAMPA LOCALE MITTELFEST

Francesca Gatti
f.gatti@reportagepr.com
0039 3479854644

Giulia Daluiso
0039 348 8547230

Generale
ufficiostampa@mittelfest.org

Voci Vicine 2.0: A Musical Inquiry into the Tragedies of Our Time

n 27 July, at 9.30 p.m. in Teatro Ristori in Cividale del Friuli, Voci Vicine 2.0, will be staged, a unique event combining the investigative words of journalist Luciana Coluccello and the music of Fabio Cifarello Ciardi performed by the Icarus Ensemble. A multitude of voices will denounce the tragedies of our time, from climate change to labour and social problems.

An original creation in which the journalist-narrator, the instrumental ensemble and a multitude of voices and faces tell, denounce and shout out the recurring tragedies of our time. A haphazard chorus of appeals, denunciations and invectives, often composed of short videos scattered on the net, will merge with Ciardi’s music, creating an intense and engaging experience.

The event will be led by journalist Luciana Coluccello, who will guide the audience through the stories and images presented. The voices of an Italy and a Europe reacting and rebelling will join the music, also performed by the Croatian Cantus Ansambl, to offer a show of great emotional impact.

Don’t miss this premiere on 27 July at 21:30.

Quartetto per la Fine del Tempo di Messiaen: A Masterpiece at Mittelfest

On 27 July, at 7 pm, in the Church of San Francesco, Mittelfest, in collaboration with the Sergio Gaggia Music Association, presents Quartetto per la fine del tempo. This performance, one of the most celebrated works of chamber music of the 20th century, will be an unmissable event for music lovers.

Composed between late 1940 and early 1941 in the Görlitz concentration camp in present-day Poland, where Messiaen was interned, the quartet is a powerful and moving testimony to the extreme conditions in which it was born. The first performance took place in the camp itself, before an audience of prisoners and guards, a context that adds further emotional depth to the work.

The score opens with a passage from the tenth chapter of the Apocalypse of St. John: ‘And I saw an angel full of power descending from heaven, enveloped in a cloud, […] saying: “There shall be no more Time; but on the day of the seventh angel’s trumpet the mystery of God shall be fulfilled”’. This biblical reference introduces a work that, in the face of the abysses and turmoil of war, opens up a mystical glimpse and questions the problem of time from a theological, philosophical and musical perspective.

Don’t miss the opportunity to attend this extraordinary performance on 27 July at 7 p.m., an event that promises to offer an unforgettable musical and spiritual experience.

Džambo Agušev Orchestra: An Explosive Musical Journey through the Balkans

Prepare to be swept away by a whirlwind of music and dance! On 24 July, Piazza Duomo will be transformed into an arena of celebration with the explosive Džambo Agušev Orchestra and its unmissable show Brasses for the Masses. Starting at 9.30 pm, let yourself be carried away by the overwhelming notes of a band that masterfully blends the warmth of Balkan dances with the virtuosity of brass and percussion.

The band’s leader, Džambo Agušev, known as the tiger of funky, will lead this musical whirlwind with his trumpet and fiery spirit, taking you on a journey through Macedonia, gypsy roots and modern influences of soul and funky. From the small town of Strumica to international stages, the Džambo Agušev Orchestra has won everyone’s heart with its unstoppable euphoria and infectious energy.

Don’t miss your chance to experience this unique musical revelry! Buy your ticket now and get ready to dance and celebrate in an experience that promises to be as unforgettable as it is lively.

Moni Ovadia, Senza Confini: A Celebration of Freedom and Human Dignity

An event of deep civil and cultural commitment with the return of Moni Ovadia to Mittelfest. On 25 July, at 21:30 in Piazza Duomo, Ovadia will present Senza Confini. Ebrei e zingari“, a recital that brings his famous work back to life with a new vibrant musicality.

With his characteristic unmistakable style, Moni Ovadia will offer an intense performance of Roma, Sinti and Jewish songs, music and stories that highlight the shared roots of these persecuted peoples. His performance is a powerful appeal against conformity and injustice, a passionate declaration of the non-negotiability of freedom and human dignity.

Senza Confini. Ebrei e zingar is not just a performance, but an act of cultural and civil resistance. Moni Ovadia uses his art to denounce persecution and discrimination, reaffirming the importance of solidarity and justice. An unmissable opportunity to reflect on wandering humanity and the commitment against racism and oppression.

Buy your ticket and attend this evening of great significance, where music and theatre become instruments in the battle against all forms of intolerance and for a more just world.

Fortuna: dance and circus explore the sea and shipwreck

An unparalleled artistic experience on 26 July at 9.30 pm in Piazza Duomo with Fortuna, an extraordinary Italian-Belgian production by Piergiorgio Milano, presented by LAC Lugano Arte e Cultura and TIR Danza. This innovative show mixes dance, circus and live music to offer an enveloping and visually breathtaking performance.

Two acrobats and dancers perform on a vertiginous structure that evokes the intensity and drama of sailing. Fortuna transforms the sea into a living entity, a stage for the creation of giants, mermaids, monsters and visions. With poetry and singing in the background, the performers’ bodies tell us of a shipwreck in reverse, emerging from an imposing silent ship, lying on the ocean floor, to the excitement of imminent departure.

This show is not only a physical journey through untameable waves and stormy winds, but also a powerful metaphor for life and the turmoil of our world. Be captivated by the magic of Fortuna and discover how it tells stories of redemption and hope through dance.

Secure your ticket for an evening of excitement, poetry and adventure, and prepare to experience an unforgettable journey through the waves of art and creativity. Fortuna is waiting to guide you on an adventure that explores the boundaries of performance and imagination.

Quartetto per la fine del tempo: a musical journey into the mystery of time

With a passage from the tenth chapter of the Apocalypse of St John, the score of one of the most famous chamber music works of the 20th century opens. ‘And I saw an angel full of power descending from heaven, enveloped in a cloud, […] saying: “There will be no more time; but on the day of the seventh angel’s trumpet the mystery of God will be fulfilled”’. Composed between late 1940 and early 1941 in the concentration camp of Görlitz, in present-day Poland, where Olivier Messiaen was interned, Quartetto per la fine del tempo was first performed in the camp itself, before an audience of prisoners and guards.

This inexhaustible work, in the face of the abysses and turmoil of war, opens up a mystical glimpse and questions, in theological, philosophical and musical terms, precisely the problem of time. On 27 July, Olivier Messiaen’s Quartet for the End of Time, performed for violin, clarinet, cello and piano, will be co-produced by Mittelfest with the Sergio Gaggia Music Association, offering a rare opportunity to hear this extraordinary composition that has profoundly marked the history of 20th century music.

Paradiž: an exciting fairy tale without words

A unique theatrical masterpiece. On 28 July at 19.15 in its national premiere, Mittelfest presents Paradiž, a sweet and bitter comedy directed by renowned Italian director Matteo Spiazzi and staged by the extraordinary actors of SLG Celje.

Set in an old people’s home in a small Slovenian town, Paradiž explores the intertwined lives of the elderly residents, addressing universal themes of exclusion, isolation, loneliness, and physical and mental illness. This story, inspired by real events, unfolds without the use of words, but through an evocative play of masks in the manner of commedia dell’arte, offering an intense and moving reflection on life and its regrets and missed opportunities.

A contemporary fable that celebrates life even as it nears the end of its timeline. It is a show that invites you to sit back and look at the world through the eyes of its characters, just as if you were looking through the window of a comfortable armchair, immersing yourself in a narrative that, though wordless, speaks directly to the heart.

Mindbowing: The ThreeX’s musical innovation in Italy for the first time

On 28 July at 4 pm, at the Chiesa di San Francesco, the trio The ThreeX will present Mindbowing for the first time in Italy. With two violins and a grand piano, this show will revolutionise all expectations, exploding into a whirlwind of dance, circus and pantomime. The performance mixes Mozart and rock’n’roll, tango, soundtracks and pop hits into an irrepressible blend. Expect to see a violinist juggling, a tuba player on the piano, a pianist playing the flute and a violinist dancing in a tutu and moonwalking. When the ThreeX are on stage, nothing is as it seems. This national debut show is designed for all ages and promises to thrill both those who frequent concert halls less and classical music lovers alike.