The Bocconi Choir, a Microcosm of 78 Voices, in Concert on December 15

A REALITY MADE UP OF BOCCONI STUDENTS, ALUMNI, FACULTY AND STAFF DIRECTED BY MARTINA ZAMBELLI. AND A REPERTOIRE RANGING FROM CLASSICAL, ETHNIC AND POPULAR MUSIC UP TO THE MOST FAMOUS SOUNDTRACKS. DATE AT 9PM IN THE AULA MAGNA GOBBI

A melody that comes from the voices of 78 different people. That is one way to define the Bocconi Choir, founded in 2005 and directed by Sergio Lonoce until 2011, when it passed into the hands of Martina Zambelli. The next concert is scheduled on December 15 at 9pm in the Aula Magna Gobbi (free entry). "When I started directing this choir in 2011, it was composed of 9 elements, now we are 78: Bocconi students, alumni, professors, employees and some externals". People with different backgrounds from 20 to 70 years old. "It is difficult to meet the tastes of such a heterogeneous group, reason why our repertoire is so diverse", says Martina. "We range from different eras and countries: from a song written in 1500 by a Franciscan friar to the soundtrack of Civilisation, a video game of the 90's, from Latin American pieces to songs in Swahili. We do not set limits, even linguistic ones. We will in fact perform a piece, May it Be, to be sung both in English and in Quenya, the language invented by J. R. R. Tolkien. We can’t say then that singers don’t care about what they are doing, as they learn idioms that do not even exist!”, she jokes.  

The purpose of the Bocconi Choir is to approach music to people who work - or study – in different fields, as to create a rich group where there is commitment, sharing, passion and fun. "We are a good team even though there are few musicians", says the Director, "various singers did not know or still can’t read the notes well”. An example is Alessandro Pisa, an Economic and Social Sciences (CLES) student, who has been part of the choir for a year, but who had never sang or played anything, "I am just a music enthusiast who has decided to start singing", he says, "I think the choir is a fascinating experience: everyone does their part and then, when you put all the parts together, the result is something unique, sometimes unexpected”.  

That is very different from the musical background of Emanuela Peritore, who works in the Legal Department of Bocconi University and who has always made music: "I had played the piano for 10 years and I’ve also attended the city’s music school, along with high school. As soon as I started working, my passion for music has been limited to listening. Then came the chorus", says the soprano. "What I appreciate of the choir is the amazing variety of people and the fact that it’s not just a hobby, it requires time, study and commitment, given the many activities and concerts in which we are involved. And this makes it even more challenging ". These are the same reasons that also brought Anna Grandori, Professor in the Management and Technology Department, into this musical reality, "I am a newcomer, in the past I had thought about entering the choir but didn’t. Now that it has a very broad repertoire and that it is more and more active, I have found the right push to join it", admits the contralto, who can play the guitar and who has always loved to sing. "I chose a different career but music has always been a hobby. In addition, the choir reality is not alien to me because I used to sing in choirs when I was young. To me this is an occasion to cultivate one of my greatest passions”. 

by Benedetta Ciotto