We have been to Lodi several times, both for concerts and auditions: as a matter of fact, Lodi is the venue of ICONS, the organization that supports and develops our project, so it’s always good to be here. In this blog, we told about some interesting anecdotes from the musical past of the town: now we want to tell you about its Theatre, Teatro alle Vigne, where we are going to perform on the 27th November.

The story of this building is incredibly fascinating: the location was born as a church, then was turned into a school held by priests; in the XIX century it went through a time of decay and was turned firstly into a storeroom and then in a gym. Only in 1976 the town’s administration decided to renovate the building which eventually became what it is nowadays, the main theatre of Lodi and the very center of the cultural life of the town: according to its artistic director, musicologist and cultural manager Angelo Curtolo, “in general terms, a theatre is a cultural organisation: as such, we can point among its objectives to increase creativity, to educate public opinion, to perpetuate memory and knowledge, to preserve the identity of the community. It’s the place where our desire to go further through artistic experience is manifested.”

In these weeks, Teatro alle Vigne has started again with his artistic production, which includes drama theatre, comedy, music: a variety of activities with “a cycle of classical plays; the series “Ridi a Lodi” (“Laugh in Lodi”), with the best comedians; classical concerts cycle; and, on Sunday afternoons, shows specifically intended for families with children. Unfortunately, our traditional cycle of shows intended for schools won’t take place this year, as, due to Covid restrictions, students are not allowed yet to participate in such activities.”

Speaking of Covid, the town was among the first places in Italy hit by the virus: very sadly, the town also lost one of the most active cultural organizers, President of Amici della Musica Paolo Motta; and, due to lockdown, cultural life was reduced to a minimum. The theatre managed to keep alive the flame of culture: “During the lockdown, we streamed a number of plays, showcasing local talented artists. Now we have started again, specifically with Oblivion Rhapsody, which got an enthusiastic and joyful response from the audience.”

Aside from the ongoing problems related to the Covid pandemic, Lodi and its theatre keep on being very active culturally speaking: the proximity with Milan, 30 minutes of train away, is not really conditioning. Moreover, the presence of the Theresia project in town has further enriched the scene: “The presence of Theresia is very important for both the town and its province, which lacked such an orchestra. Since I started to manage the activity of Teatro alle Vigne, I immediately initiated a collaboration with the Orchestra: besides the concerts that we can offer to the audience, during the residencies we have always opened the Theatre to students, who could thus be having a powerful musical experience, by listening to music performed by young people (almost) of their same age.”