Zefiro Torna

“Let there be spaces in your togetherness, Sing and dance together and be joyous, but let each one of you alone Even as strings of a lute dance alone though they quiver with the same music.” (Khalil Gibran, from the book The Prophet) On the occasion of the Belgian presidency of the European Union in 2024, Zefiro Torna initiates the project UNITY IN DIVERSITY. The ensemble, in collaboration with European concert halls and festivals, invites singers and lutenists from diverse cultural and musical backgrounds. Per residency, concerts, workshops and lectures are organized with about 6 musicians. Space is created for dialogue and experimentation in a search for a common language. The music refers to social events, religious rites, economic conditions and significant historical events that are part of the DNA of the European identity. The encounters across Europe lead to a unique patchwork, and are reflected in media content and a podcast. A first residency UNITY IN DIVERSITY #1 took place in August 2023 during the festival Laus Polyphoniae Antwerp. New editions are planned in festivals and and concert halls in Mechelen (BE), Sofia (BG), The Hague (NL), Riga (LV) and Osnabrück (DE). In the coming years, the ensemble welcomes new collaborations within and outside Europe.