Ancient Roman sanctuary lights up with the music of Israel’s Noa, 01/08/2015

--> The ancient Roman Sanctuary of Ercole, located in Tivoli (a UNESCO world heritage site, famous for its garden of fountains), hosted the free-outdoor concert by Israeli singer Noa and her fellow guitarist Gil Dor.

The Ancient Sanctuary of Ercole the Conquerer is located in the town of Tivoli, a mere 30 kms from Rome.  The Sanctuary dates back to the 2nd century B.C. and is one of the finest examples of Roman engineering.  Its theater could once hold up to 3,600 spectators.  In more modern times it hosted the concert of Israeli-born Achinoam Nini, better known as Noa, and her fellow guitarist Gil Dor. In a matter of a few years Noa has become Israel’s most famous singer in the world. She has played for popes in the Vatican as one of her main causes has also been peace amongst the Israelis and Palestinians.  The Israeli singer has also worked closely in the past with America’s great guitarist, Pat Metheny. Noa’s Tivoli concert also included a moving version of the song from Roberto Benigni’s Oscar-winning movie, “Life Is Beautiful”.

Pejman Tadayon and Sufi Ensemble in concert in Rome, Italy April 12th, 2014

Pejman Tadayon and the Sufi Ensemble interpret ancient and mystical Persian music in concert in Rome

Persian musician and composer Pejman Tadayon was in concert in Rome’s Auditorium supported by the eight-member female Sufi Ensemble.  Tadayon interprets mystical music from artists such as Jalalludin Rumi, Hafez and Omar Khayyam as a way of spreading the universal message of peace and harmony amongst cultures and religions.  To do this, Tadayon uses original instruments such as the setar, tar, ney, tombak, daf and oud.  

The Sufi Ensemble instead proposes the spectacular Mevlevi rotating dance together with ancient Persian dancing.  Traditionally, this dance has been performed by men but Tadayon has wanted to honor the growing role of women in Iranian society under Iran’s new president, Hassan Rouhani.

Indie-rock singer and guitarist Thalia Zedek live in Rome March 26th, 2014

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Indie-rock guitarist sensation Thalia Zedek played live at Rome’s Init club.   American Indie-rock singer and guitarist Thalis Zedek played in Rome in front of a rather small crowd.  The 53 year-old musician has been active on the alternative rock scene since the 1980s with groups such as “Live Skull” and “Come” (a reunion of the latter group may be in the works).  


Zedek grew up in the metropolitan area of Washington, D.C.  The early punk era of the late 1970s, in particular Patti Smith’s music, contributed substantially to her musical formation.  Her first band, the all-female “White Women”, broke up after a couple of years.  She then went on to form the “Dangerous Birds”.   That was followed with her next group, New York City’s “Live Skull”, where she became the primary vocalist.   Zedek also participated in the 1998 Suffragette Sessions tour which was  organized by the “Indigo Girls”. 


Despite limited commercial success (one of her masterpieces is “Eleven”), Zedek has been highly acclaimed by critics throughout her career as she has been deeply influential within the world of Indie-rock music.