The Colibrì Ensemble is the Pescara Chamber Orchestra, a stable part of the city scene with its own concert season. The orchestra was founded in 2013 by Andrea Gallo as a project of the Associazione Libera delle Arti and took its cue from a children’s Fairy-Tale entitled “ the humming-bird fairy-tale”.
The members of the orchestra are all professional, high-ranking and experienced musicians who have played in prestigious theatres and orchestras such as Teatro alla Scala in Milan, Orchestra Filarmonica Toscanini in Parma, Orchestra dell’Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia, Orchestra del Teatro Regio in Turin, Haydn Orchestra of Trento and Bolzano, Bologna Opera Theatre, Solisti di Pavia, Orchestre des Champs-Elysées in Paris.
It became a concrete reality thanks to the passion for music of Dr. Gina Barlafante, a doctor and osteopath, a real patron of the arts of bygone days, who supported the project economically both personally and through the AIOT Academy (Italian Traditional Osteopathy Academy).
He has collaborated with major artists of national and international renown such as Alexander Lonquich, Enrico Dindo, Andrea Oliva, Anna Tifu, Francesca Dego, Alessandro Moccia, Klaidi Sahatci, Gilad Karni, Christophe Horak, Bruno Delepelaire, Calogero Palermo, Francesco Di Rosa, Felice Cusano, Daniele Rustioni, Pina Napolitano.
Remarkable is the partnership with the pianist Alexander Lonquich, now a regular guest of each season. With him the orchestra has realized a prestigious recording project dedicated to Schumann and Burgmüller. The Cd was released in May 2018 for the label Odradek Records and it has a worldwide distribution.
The Colibrì Ensemble has been invited in many concert seasons. Noteworthy is the Teatro Lauro Rossi 2016 season opening concert and the acclaimed concert at the Fazioli Concert Hall as the first orchestra playing on that stage. Frequently it has been invited at the Amici della Musica di Montegranaro Concert Season, together with the violinist Anna Tifu and recently with the Soloists of Berliner Philharmoniker.
The orchestra performs mostly without conductor reevaluating the role of the Concertmaster that was useful in the past centuries.
The Colibrì Ensemble includes chamber music group and the number of musician, in the symphonic orchestra, could reach up to 50 members.
The orchestra staged its opening concert on 28 September 2013 at the Civic Theatre of Atri during the International Osteopathy and Neurology Congress. The first notes to be played were those of a composition presented for the very first time – Inside Resonance Zones, – commissioned by Colibrì from the composer, Stefano Taglietti. This premiere was already a declaration of intents by a dynamic and original group open to all musical periods, from baroque to contemporary. Every year, the orchestra continues to commission a new composition to be included in its concert season.
In 2013-2014, it staged a first Season of 5 concerts aimed at presenting the orchestra in various guises and with various different members. The programme went from the symphonic repertoire to that for string and wind instruments. Many prestigious soloists took part such as Jacopo Di Tonno and Stefano Ferrario. The orchestra can already boast over eighty season ticket holders. Each concert is dedicated to an aid agency to which part of the takings is donated. During this first season, the Colibrì cooperated with the Italian Red Cross, the UNICEF, the AIL and the Pescara Hospital Neonatology ward.
During the summer of 2014, it made a name for itself in town by successfully organizing a number of FlashMobs which consisted in inviting passers-by to conduct the orchestra. Using a similar approach, it also took part in the Pescara Jazz Festival and in the PJinFesta at the CSVillage. Following this event, the opportunity arose to make use of premises where the orchestra currently rehearses, stages small chamber music concerts, sells tickets and provides information concerning its activities.
The 2014-2015 season consists of 7 concerts and involves international soloists such as Alexander Lonquich, Enrico Dindo and Felice Cusano. Especially important was the concert held on 17 December, 2014 in which all Bach’s Brandenburg Concertos were performed in just one evening.
The 2015-2016 season includes 12 concerts and big names in the music world, such as Daniele Rustioni, Francesca Dego, Alexander Lonquich, Francesco Di Rosa, William Pellarin and Alessandro Moccia.
The 2016-2017 season still will consists of 12 concerts and involves two first italian performance, new soloists as Anna Tifu and Andrea Oliva, special events as Contraddanza and Disney The cartooinst.
The 2017-2018 season had included the collaboration with musicians coming from the most prestigious european orchestras such as Berliner Philharmoniker, Zurich Tonhalle Orkester, Royal Concertgebow Orchestra, Orchestre des Champs-Elysées.
The particularity of the orchestra….Fairy-Tale and Colibrì spirit
The Colibrì Fairy-Tale suggests participation as the main driving force for achieving a noble result.
In this sense, there is no better example than an orchestra, in which everyone must give their contribution, meaning commitment on the stage and role in the music score. All are indispensable, each single member needs the others.
One of the orchestra’s prerogatives in fact is that it is seen not as a simple place of work, but as a place to be shared, a place of stimulating social and cultural relationships. All its members are called upon to feel part of a common project in the name of music. All the Colibrì musicians know they are part of a special orchestra, that they must share certain specific ideals and be prepared to take part in a somewhat unusual experience.
Educational
Schools and the younger generations are Colibri’s number one partners.
During the last season, the project entitled “Orchestra rehearsal” involved many elementary and middle school students who attended the Colibrì rehearsals.
The association has already been involved in educational projects in the past.
In school year 2013-2014 the educational project “Colours of Music” was staged. This was developed thanks to the precious support of valuable teachers who put their expertise at the disposal of the Libera delle Arti Association.
In 2011, the “A fabulous music” project was implemented at the Circus Theatre. It involved in one day more than 1,200 primary and secondary school children and proved a big success.