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The Marranzanu, a typically Sicilian instrument, yet widespread worldwide in a wide variety of forms and models; an ancestral instrument with an incredibly contemporary sound. A witness to a very ancient form of “globalization,” the marranzano is simultaneously a symbol of our local tradition and a potential vehicle for global interconnection, an ideal metaphor for everything that, while typically Sicilian, projects into a space of international cultural relations; for everything that, despite having ancient roots, projects towards the future.
The Marranzano World Festival is an event to rediscover the sonic and human depth of popular instruments and musical traditions in Sicily, simultaneously revealing their deep connections with other cultures across time and space. A festival focused on the dialectical relationships between local and global, tradition and innovation, bringing together scientific and educational initiatives with moments of spectacle and celebration. It positions itself at an appropriate distance from both folkloristic revivals and the ambiguous exoticism of many so-called “ethnic” musics..