The collaboration between the Italian Society of Authors and Publishers (SIAE) and the Spoleto Festival dei 2 Mondi is the result of an exceptional series of “elective affinities”: On one side is SIAE, which has always played a major role in promoting and protecting Italy’s cultural heritage and, on the other, the Festival dei 2 Mondi, one of the most prestigious cultural and performing arts events in Italy. Since its creation, the Festival has always focused above all on the importance of innovation and experimentation in the fields of music, opera, dance, and theater.

This fusion of shared ideals has led to the creation of an award that will be presented every year, beginning in 2010, by a board of experts selected by the Festival dei 2 Mondi and intended to encourage “new careers” among talented young Italians in the fields of choreography, playwriting, and set design and staging.

Broadly speaking, at a time when theater often seems to do little more than repeat well-known repertoires—though such work is often excellent—it is essential to encourage the creativity of new talents, focusing on evolving horizons in artistic communication that represent continuity and, at the same time, progress in the arts.

 

This year a special SIAE award will be presented to Alessandra Ferri, the extraordinary international ètoile and unwavering promoter of Italian ballet and choreography throughout the world.

As well as having performed in all the classics in the romantic repertoire and the most famous masterpieces of the last century, Alessandra Ferri has been constantly driven by her unlimited artistic curiosity towards increasingly new and unexpected horizons, a demonstration of her amazing talent, generosity, and enthusiasm.

Alessandra Ferri has become a legend in the world of ballet and beyond, transformed—in the eyes of her vast public—into a magnificent modern combination of vitality and ethereal grace.