The final of Special Stage will be held on Friday 14 November in Milan: a project that connects volunteering and music in an intimate and profound way
Volunteering is good. Undoubtedly to those who receive it, probably even more so to those who do it.
The early 2000s had just passed, when four guys with a background full of enthusiasm, desire to do and above all innovative ideas, give life to a project, still a little immature, but well articulated: bringing music into hospitalsas a medicine to alleviate the suffering of patients and their loved ones. And bring it in a new way, exciting people not only by listening, but by involving them as if they were watching a talent show. Indeed, just as if they were the judges.
Thus was born “Special Stage”, where the special stage is that of hospitals, on which young artists perform, and patients dress up as jurors for a day, supported by a “technical jury” made up of well-known artists from the musical scene. Malika Ayane, Dario Brunori, Tananai and Achille Lauro are just some of the names who have donated their talent by performing in care facilities.
Good Workshops (www.officinebuone.it) it is the name of the association that gave life to this splendid project; those four guys have become many more, bringing music to more and more hospitals (in Italy, but also exporting the idea to London), inventing a way of volunteering that helps, entertains and stimulates.
And he presents himself as a true talent. Suffice it to say that among the then unknown artists who took to that stage, there were I Pinguini Tattici Nucleari, Eugenio in Via di Gioia, Carlo Amleto.
The project has had so much success that at the end of each year, a real final is organized with exceptional judges, such as Mara Maionchi, Caterina Caselli or Alberto Salerno.
This year we are celebrating an important date: yours tenth edition and his firsts 1000 dates in hospital.
“We celebrated date 1000 and I, who was also present on date number one, was amazed by the fact that there was the same exact emotion, such a long-lived project but always so alive, full of good energy”. Ugo Vivone, president of Officine Buone, tells us that he was not only present from date one, but also from the very first day it all began.
And for anyone interested in experiencing this moment of celebration where the talent of young artists and the commitment of the volunteers who have allowed the project to grow and strengthen are celebrated, the appointment is for Friday 14 November in Milan at 9.00 pm at Santeria Toscana 31.
We left a very refined gem at the end: the 2017 edition of Special Stage was won by a certain Lucio Corsi.
