Onlus “Iside Nova” is a cultural association which was established on 13^th November 1993 and is registered with the Campania Region’s federation of regional associations.  (Albo delle “Associazioni di rilievo regionale” della Regione Campania).  The association follows the statutory aims relating to the fostering of art and cultural heritage through the rediscovery of ancient traditions, especially the conservation of historic centres all too often forgotten, abandoned or neglected over time.  All of these activities occur within a social framework with the main purpose of involving young people in the hope that these activities act as an incentive for the development of art/craft or tourism based entrepreneurial activities in order to minimise the problem of youth unemployment.

For years, the association has been involved in the organisation of social, cultural and tourism programs and initiatives which includes the festival “Four nights and more…of a full moon”, held in the historic centre of Benevento.  The festival, which is now in its eighth year, has gained importance on a national scale and was declared to be one of Campania’s 10 most important events by the Regional government in July 2003.  This event invites well known artists to perform in the city’s most noted and characteristic locations such as churches, cloisters, squares and laneways as well as holding conventions, art exhibitions, theatrical productions, cabaret shows, concerts (operas, classical, modern and ethnic music concerts) and dance concerts. 

The aforementioned event has attracted tens of thousands of tourists from all over Italy, to the extent that RAI , other national broadcasters and journalists have covered the various editions of the even with great interest and enthusiasm.  In 2004 alone, an estimated 500,000 people from all over Italy attended the event.  Between July 2003 and September 2004, our website www.isidenova.it tallied over 800,000 hits.  A major proportion of those were from other countries.

In keeping with this now well established tradition, the association is now busy planning its 2005 edition which promises to be full of important art and cultural events.

The 9^th edition of “Four nights and more….of full moon” will be held in Benevento in July, in conjunction with the following events:

• 8^th edition “A Prescindere” Award, dedicated to Totò and presented by Pippo Baudo.
• 5^th Edition International Opera and Classical Music Festival.
• 4^th Edition Dance Connection

The advertising campaign for the event is huge and the 2004 edition was staged with the help of   60, 000 brochures, 30,000 flyers, 1500 posters, 600 play-bills, television and radio commercials.  The event is sponsored by the provincial government of Benevento, the Chamber of Commerce, the region of Campania, the Department for Culture and Heritage and private enterprise.   Government  and private entities which support the event display their logo on the advertising material and in the designated area on the internet site alongside that of the Association

Along with the individual efforts of the Association’s members and main artists, the financial support of sponsors is also very important. 

5^th Edition of “A Prescindere” Award 

The “A Prescindere” Award, which will be held in the splendid historic square of Piano di Corte, has become a much awaited event in the Samnite area, the region of Campania and even on a national scale.

The award was created to recognise the outstanding achievement and contribution of individuals in their field including the arts, entertainment, business, politics and fashion and also for their part in opening-up opportunities for artistic, cultural, socio-economic and political development; and community service.

The award is conferred by a qualified jury made up of well-known national experts and over the last few years, the following individuals have been awarded: Lino Banfi, Katia Ricciarelli, Pippo Baudo, Enrico Montesano, Diego Della Valle, Giancarlo Elia Valori, Luigi Abete, Rocco Barocco, Marta Marzotto, Luciano De Crescenzo, Maria Rita Parsi, Ioseph Sciame, Tiziana Ferrario, Franco ALberti, Alvaro de Marichalar Y Saenz de Tejade, Gianni Carità, Maria Grazia Cucinotta, Bruno Venturini, Silvana Giacobini, Mimmo Di Francia, Antonio Corbo, Patty Pravo and many others who are distinguished in their field of expertise.

From a logistic point of view, the award is a perfect partnership between culture and entertainment.  It has also become an event that draws national interest, in that, the mass media has been consistently present at recent editions including the major news programs TG 1, TG 2 and TG 3; early morning and late night variety programs such as Rai Notte and Uno Mattina; newspapers including Venerdì di Repubblica, Corriere della Sera, Tempo di Roma; and magazines including Panorama, Chi and VIP, whose reviews have always been positive and encouraging.

Why the title “A Prescindere”?  (literally translated it means: “Regardless of…”).  First and foremost it is one of the most famous quotes from Italy’s greatest comedic actor Totò, to whom the award is dedicated, however it is not only restricted to the entertainment world to which Totò belonged.

International Festival of Benevento

The International Festival of Benevento is a celebration of opera and symphony music which has given Benevento artistic importance on a regional and national scale.  It is organised annually by “Iside Nova”, with the aim of making the Samnite city an artistic and musical meeting point and to consolidate its reputation established during its three editions. 

It is due to this annual stability that the festival has achieved an artistic continuity which has seen the participation of well known musicians and actors with extraordinary capabilities. In turn this has  guaranteed high-quality concerts and productions which are not often performed in areas such as that of Benevento.

Following on from this success, Iside Nova (now with a permanent organisational network) is preparing its 5^th International Festival of Benevento to be held in July 2005.

During the 2004 edition of the festival, Iside Nova put together a wide spectrum of high quality performances which were important for promoting Italian and European music; innovation, research and experimentation of new musical techniques and styles as well as trying to nurture an exchange between well established artists and emerging ones.

Next year the Festival will stage events that have been created free of formal restrictions so as they can be performed in public areas and theatres in the Samnite capital, where these arenas can be brought to life by the sound of music.

The areas where the events will take place are:

• Saint Augustine’s Auditorium
• Saint Domenic’s Cloister
• The Rectors’ Fort
• The Roman Theatre
• Church of Saint Sofia

The fame and musical ability of the performers will act as “speakers” for the event.  All musical genres will be worthily represented including opera, classical, symphony and sacred music, making the Samnite city a huge stage which will also give younger artists the opportunity for professional growth.

The artists that have taken part in the last few editions include: The Neapolitan Soloists, The Santa Cecilia Quartet, The Scarlatti Orchestra, Uto Ughi, Laura De Fusco, Katia Ricciarelli, Maria Dragoni, Chiara Taigi, The Russian State Television Orchestra, The Roman Philharmonic Orchestra, Professors from La Scala, San Carlo and Weiner theatres.

Over the last few years, the festival has been the stage for a series of events of high cultural value such as The Four Seasons, The Traviata, The Diridina and the participation of internationally acclaimed artists such as Salvatore Accardo, Salvatore Campanella, Chiara Taigi and others.

As already mentioned, all of the events will take place in areas of important artistic value which will become a stage for the rediscovery and appreciation of these art and historical treasures.  Hence the concerts and performances can be a driving force behind tourism initiatives in the area, from which the territory and cities can derive a sound economic benefit.

The sponsorship and financial support of the following entities is planned: Department for Culture and Heritage; the regional government; provincial government, the local council, The Samnite University, and consortiums of other Italian and European music associations along with other non-profit cultural associations.