Skip to main content

SIENA AND STARS FESTIVAL PROGRAM 2014

Born last year, the Siena and Stars festival is in its second round and continues to bring more great live music to one of the most beautiful locations in Siena's city center. With a focus on some of Italy's greatest singer songwriters the festival opens with Antonello Venditti (11/7) in piazza del Campo (concert for free!) followed by Franco Battiato on July 15. The Sicilian pop star will be accompanied by Filarmonica Arturo Toscanini, one of Italy's leading symphony orchestras. 

The international highlight of the festival takes place on July 18 with the 'Balcan Party' by Goran Bregovic and his Wedding and Funeral band - a concert that should get everybody off their chairs. The same counts for the Tarantella night with Ambrogio Sparagna and the Orchestra Popolare Italiana on the 17th of July. 


Siena and Stars in piazza del Duomo 2013
Getting ready for Siena and Stars 

If you rather let other people do the dancing, come on the 22nd to admire the ballerini of Milan's teatro della Scala or join the Flamenco night on the 27th of July. And bring your kids on the 21st of July for an evening with Sonics, a troupe of acrobats that have been involved in the opening ceremony of the Olympics in Turin. 

Last but not least the collaboration with Siena Jazz also continues this year and brings six Jazz concerts to the square in front of Siena's famous cathedral. It's rare to have the opportunity to listen to the great Enrico Rava or jazz musicians like Avishai Cohen in such a splendid setting - for free!



Concerts in collaboration with Siena Jazz: 


July 20
“Paolo Fresu Quintet” - feat. Paolo Fresu/Tino Tracanna/Roberto Cipelli/Attilio Zanchi/Ettore Fioravanti
Tickets 20 Euro

July 24
“Siena Jazz University Orchestra” & Guests
director Roberto Spadoni / Ospiti: Maurizio Giammarco e Achille Succi
Free entrance

July 25
“Siena Jazz Masters 2014”
1° set: Avishai Cohen/Mark Turner/Lionel Loueke/Jeff Ballard - 4tet
2° set: Ambrose Akinmusire/Anat Cohen/David Virelles/Matt Penman/Jeff Ballard - 5tet
Free entrance

August 1
“Siena Jazz Masters 2014”
1° set: Theo Bleckmann/ Roberto Cecchetto/Pietro Leveratto/Ettore Fioravanti - 4tet
2° set: “Frontal” feat. David Binney/Dan Kinzelman/Simone Graziano/Francesco Ponticelli/Stefano Tamborrino
Free entrance

August 4
Enrico Rava “New Quartet 2014”
feat. Enrico Rava/Francesco Diodati/Gabriele Evangelista/Enrico Morello
Free entrance

August 5
“Siena Jazz Masters 2014”
1° set: David Binney/John Taylor/ Furio Di Castri/Mark Guiliana - 4tet
2° set: Walter Smith III/Nir Felder/ Reuben Rogers /Mark Guiliana - 4tet
Free entrance

SIENA AND STARS

July 20 to August 5 in the square between the cathedral and Siena's Santa Maria della Scala museum. Concerts start at 9.15 pm. Tickets on the night from 7.30 pm at the festival office in via del Capitano, 17 (right next to the entrance to the square) or click on the link to the Siena and Stars website above. 
Ticket prices start from 20 Euro (with special deals as low as 5€ for students for some of the concerts) and free concerts organized by the Siena Jazz Foundation.
In the mood for more live jazz under the Tuscan stars? Check out the program of Montalcino Jazz & Wine 2014


Popular posts from this blog

SIENA AND THE MONTE DEI PASCHI CRISIS

The world's oldest banking institute (founded in 1472) has made it into the media big time since 2012. But not because of its longevity.  Wondering what the financial nigh tmare is all about? I'm still trying to figure it out - just as everybody else who's living in Southern Tuscany.   The crisis of the Monte dei Paschi bank isn't just about MPS employers losing their jobs and museums their funding (which on its own is already bad enough). But it's also about research, universities and even kindergartens. Basically every age group in and around Siena will be affected in some way or another by the drying up of the streams of money that supported most social and cultural aspects of Southern Tuscany.  Right, I would look worried too. Palazzo Spannocchi, part of the MPS HQ in piazza Salimbeni Want to know more?  The art newspaper has published a well researched article in April, which explains some of the artier effects of the bank's crisis.  

BEST BIKE RENTAL IN SIENA

Villa Catignano: one of the many beautiful places an e-bike can get you to from Siena A few years ago, I interviewed an American writer , who during her month-long stay in Siena whizzed through the city on a bicycle. This was an unusual sight - vespas are the two-wheelers of choice in Siena's hilly town center, not bikes like in mostly flat Florence.  But the invention of e-bikes is about to change this. The city of Siena has installed an  electric bike sharing program which is functioning well. However, it's mostly aimed at locals and residents, as its set-up is a little complicated for visitors who only stay a couple of days in town. Hence, for tourists, the best bike rental options in Siena are with the privately owned shops which supply bycicles of every size and type for a day or two or an entire week.  Giulia from Julskitchen.com cycling through the hills of Siena Siena Bike Shop rents out racing bycicles, hybrid and e-bikes and is a great optio...

DRIVING IN ITALY AND ROAD FINES IN SIENA

Thought if the Italians do it, you can do it too? These were the good old times. Speeding, bad parking and drink-driving are no longer part of the Italian way of life. Okay, the rules of the road still aren't as strictly followed as in Northern Europe, but things have definitely changed during the past decade.  With driving being more strict now, it's only right that paying your fine should become easier too. Siena and many other of Italy's tourist destinations have finally installed online payment. Click through to the website of Siena's town council  to get done with it right away.