Once-in-a-Lifetime Concert with Maestro Riccardo Muti and Cherubini Orchestra in Jordan

The Jordan Italian Forum for Cooperation (JIFCO), in collaboration with the Ministry of Culture and the Jordan Tourism Board, is proud to announce the concert led by Maestro Riccardo Muti on July 9, 2023, with the stunning backdrop of the historic Jerash Amphitheatre. Within the frame of Ravenna Festival’s Roads of Friendship project, which aims to promote friendship and communication through music, the concert will see young Jordanian musicians join the Luigi Cherubini Youth Orchestra in a performance of the second act from Gluck’s Orpheus and Eurydice, arias and choirs from Bellini’s Norma (including ‘Casta diva’), and Brahms's Schicksalslied. The 200 Italian and Jordanian musicians will perform under Muti’s baton also in Ravenna (7 July) and Pompeii (11 July): the common thread of the shared Roman past links two long-buried cities – one was entombed by the ashes of the Mount Vesuvius, the other by the desert sands – to Ravenna, whose port of Classe the emperor Augustus chose for his Eastern Mediterranean fleet.

Since 1997, Ravenna Festival's annual Roads of Friendship pilgrimage has visited places that have made ancient and contemporary history. This year, The Roads of Friendship travels to Jordan, a country that not only provides support to the refugee camps within its borders alongside the UNHCR and international organisations, but has also integrated most of the refugees into its communities. The concert in Jerash, the 'Pompeii of the East', will pay tribute to this admirable spirit of brotherhood while offering the Jordanian community and music enthusiasts from all over the world a once-in-a-lifetime experience. This remarkable event, also an opportunity to appreciate Jordan's rich cultural heritage and natural beauty, will be covered by the Italian press invited by the Ravenna Festival.

Moreover, the Jordan National Gallery of Fine Arts will host a joint mosaic exhibition by young artists from Ravenna and Madaba, opening on July 3, 2023. This exhibition will showcase the cultural background and artistic talent of young artists. Following its debut in Jordan, the exhibition will travel to Ravenna and feature in the Biennale exhibit in October 2023. JIFCO is also promoting a cultural tour of Jordan during the first week of July, which will include a concert at the magical city of Petra and Amman Amphitheatre; the organization is working closely with international tour operators and travel agents to promote this tour.

The partnership between JIFCO, the Ministry of Culture, and the Jordan Tourism Board highlights Jordan's commitment to promoting cultural exchange and tourism. The concert in Jerash is supported by the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation (which, in line with the strategy of strengthening cultural ties between Italy and Jordan, will open a new Italian Cultural Institute in Amman), with the assistance of the Italian Embassy in Amman, and by the Emilia-Romagna Region.

* Event Organizer: JIFCO, Jordanian Italian Forum for Cooperation
* For inquiries: 0797523330