Interfaith New Year’s Concert at Sermig

“From silence to dialogue, from listening to harmony…” is the title chosen this year for the interfaith peace concert held at Sermig – Arsenale della Pace on January 1st. The concert was attended by a large audience, including dignitaries and representatives of Turin’s various religious denominations. The Jewish Community of Turin was represented by Vice President Anna Segre and Councilor Carla D’Asdia.
The orchestra, the first of its kind in Europe, can also be defined as interreligious. It is made up of ten professional musicians of different faiths who performed free of charge, convinced of the importance of the initiative and its strong symbolic value.
The concert was preceded by a welcome from Rossana Tabasso, president of the Arsenale della Pace, and introductory speeches by writer Younis Tawfik, Valentino Castellani, president of the Interfaith Committee of the City of Turin, Giampiero Leo, vice president of the Regional Committee for Human Rights, and Walter Nuzzo, vice president of the Interfaith Committee and co-founder of the Interfaith Coordination “We Are with You,” who conducted the evening by introducing the orchestra and the pieces (well-known classical music pieces, such as Mozart’s “Eine Kleine Nachtmusik” or Strauss’s “The Blue Danube”). In addition to the dialogue between the different instruments, it was noted, the music also involves a dialogue with the composer: each conductor and each orchestra gives their own interpretation of his message. This original metaphor also fits well with the theme of the confrontation between religions.
As the orchestra played, passages from sacred texts or from figures belonging to different religions appeared in the background. These concerned not only peace but also various themes that could somehow be traced back to the responsibility of humanity—to others, to divinity, or to creation. These themes included different requests and promises of rewards, earthly or otherworldly: a dialogue between texts that did not hide differences but presented them as a source of enrichment. The presence of a passage from Qoheleth Rabbah, a specifically Jewish voice, in addition to Psalm 31 and the ever-present Isaiah, was appreciable.
It was fitting and fitting (given the unfortunate attack we recently suffered) to thank the newspaper La Stampa for its pluralism in the introductory speeches. Also important was the mention of the Tavolo della Speranza, an initiative in which our Community was an active participant.