On Friday, March 20, and Saturday, March 21, the Auditorium of the Vincenzo Bellini Conservatory of Catania will host the international conference “Salvatore Pappalardo, Pietro Platania, Giovanni Pacini, and Music between the 19th and 20th Centuries.” Promoted as part of the MUSIC4D project, this event brings together European experts to restore the works of the island’s musical tradition to modern audiences.

CATANIA – The 3PIN4D program continues its international journey with a stage entirely dedicated to the dissemination of research and academic exchange. Following its debut in Murcia, Spain, on March 3, the Vincenzo Bellini Conservatory of Catania will host the research conference “Salvatore Pappalardo, Pietro Platania, Giovanni Pacini, and Music between the 19th and 20th Centuries” on Friday, March 20, and Saturday, March 21.

Rediscover, Train, Innovate: these are the pillars upon which 3PIN4D is built. Promoted within the framework of MUSIC4D, the initiative aims to map Sicily’s historical heritage, starting with a true investigative challenge: bringing to light the chamber music masterpieces of Giovanni Pacini, Salvatore Pappalardo, and Pietro Platania, three giants of the island’s culture. By integrating high-level professional training with digital potential, the program transforms the past into a vanguard laboratory, giving voice back to works fundamental to our musical identity.

The two-day event, coordinated by Gaetano Adorno and Enrica Donisi, will feature a virtuous dialogue between Italian and international scholars from prestigious institutions, including the City University of London and the University of Bologna. Proceedings will open on Friday afternoon with a focus on “La Camera della Musica” (The Chamber of Music), a multimedia installation curated by Riccardo Samperi that visually translates the MUSIC4D mission: transforming historical documentation into an accessible sensory experience. The sessions will explore the links between the Neapolitan cello school and European traditions, bridging the gap between Sicily and the major production hubs of the era.

Saturday will be dedicated to the continuity of the Catanese school and Pacini’s legacy, through the analysis of letters, manuscripts, and the presentation of critical editions. The theoretical discussion will be enriched by live musical performances featuring faculty and young talents from the Conservatory, providing a practical test of scores that have long remained unpublished. The event will conclude with a Roundtable chaired by the President of the Catania Conservatory, Carmelo Galati, focused on institutional responsibility and growth prospects for Sicily’s immense musical heritage. To ensure the widest possible dissemination of the research, all presentations and conference proceedings will be available via remote access.

This event consolidates the mission of MUSIC4D, the project funded by the PNRR (National Recovery and Resilience Plan) and led by the Alessandro Scarlatti Conservatory of Palermo in synergy with the Conservatories of Southern Italy and university partners UNIPA and UNICAL. In this scenario, the Catania conference represents both a milestone of scientific research and a call to treasure our heritage with a newfound awareness. The challenge of 3PIN4D is clear: to look beyond the mere preservation of a static archive and embrace the institutional responsibility of transforming Sicily’s historical memory into a living resource – one capable of inspiring future generations and reaffirming the island as a nerve center of international artistic production.