Caterina Barbieri’s two-year mandate as head of the Music sector begins. The festival explores so-called cosmic music, not as a rigid genre but as an idea: an exploration of sound that creates new worlds, beyond labels, offering an experience that dissolves boundaries (between genres, between past and present, between cultures) and opens toward the unknown. The image evoked by The Star Within speaks of a longing for vastness, of vibrations spanning from the microscopic to the planetary, of music as an experience that transcends the ego. A spectacular opening on October 11: a musical procession on the water with small boats, created by Chuquimamani-Condori, weaving through the Venetian canals and culminating in a concert by Los Thuthanaka in front of the Bacino delle Gaggiandre, at the Arsenale. From then until October 25, world premieres and debut performances will follow one another, featuring contemporary composers such as William Basinski (revisiting Garden of Brokeness), Laurie Spiegel (The Expanding Universe), Suzanne Ciani, Moritz Von Oswald with choir, and others. Honors: the Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement to American artist Meredith Monk, for her innovative contribution to contemporary music; the Silver Lion to Chuquimamani-Condori.

Featured image: SUNN O))) Moore Seattle 1123 © Brandon Andre