Popstar LP at 'Notte della Taranta' closing concert

(ANSA) - Lecce, July 24 - Popstar LP, the Italian-American singer and song-writer Laura Pergolozzi, will be the guest star of the closing concert of the 21st Notte della Taranta music festival, Europe's largest traditional music event, to be held on August 25 in Melpignano, near Lecce.
    The announcement was made at a press conference in Lecce at the headquarters of lender Banco di Napoli after 16 dancers from the corps de ballet of La Notte della Taranta surprised the public in Piazza Sant'Oronzo with an impromptu performance.
    The presentation was attended by, among others, regional tourism councilor, Loredana Capone and the president of the Foundation La Notte della Taranta, Massimo Manera.
    The regional director for southern Italy of bank Intesa Sanpaolo, Francesco Guido, was also present with Lecce Mayor Carlo Salvemini, the director of the pediatric onco-hematology department of the Fazzi Hospital, Assunta Tornesello, and the president of the non-profit group "Per un sorriso in più" (for one more smile), Antonio Giammaruto.
    LP is a leading pop-rock singer and song-writer.
    Her hit 'Lost on You' made her into one of last year's biggest rock acts with 100 million followers, topping the charts worldwide. The song-writer announced her participation with a video message.
    In the video, the artist sang Kalinifta, the song that each year closes the music festival dedicated to the local 'pizzica' music.
    The artist, who has been likened to Bob Dylan and David Bowie, will sing songs from the traditional music of Salento with the Orchestra Popolare directed by Andrea Mirò with a choreography by Massimiliano Volpini.
    Artists Clementino, Enzo Gragnaniello, James Senese, Yilian Canizares, Dhoad Gypsy, Frank Nemola, Davide "Billa" Brambilla, Mino De Santis will also perform. The event will be broadcast live by RAI 5 and Radio 1 RAI.
    The 21st edition of La Notte della Taranta on August 2-25 will include 100 hours of live shows with a total of 360 musicians performing in 40 concerts.
    Additional events have been organized by Intesa Sanpaolo and Banco di Napoli, the main sponsors of the initiative, along with a fundraiser promoted by Intesa Sanpaolo for the onco-hematology pediatric ward of the Vito Fazzi Hospital in Lecce, together with volunteers for association 'Un sorriso in più'.
    The fundraiser is organized to support the project "Accorciamo le distanze" (Let's make distances shorter), inaugurated and funded by the organization last year, to provide the hospital with a system to transmit high-resolution data to medical centers worldwide for a better evaluation of complex clinical cases.
    The initiative, said councilor Capone, is a "virtuous model of collaboration between public and private" partners to promote the local "beauty and culture and to create development and concrete actions of solidarity".
    The partnership with Intesa Sanpaolo has enabled the organization of additional concerts and photo exhibits to be held at the bank's branches in the Salento area on August 2-25.
    "We want to create an ethical model of sponsorship that, by using a symbol of huge cultural value like that of La Notte della Taranta, generates concrete and effective solidarity", said Francesco Guido, the regional director for the south of Intesa Sanpaolo and director general of Banco di Napoli.
    Intesa Sanpaolo is promoting the area's heritage and the former convent of the Agostiniani in Melpignano, a symbol of the festival's closing event, has been included among the sites of national census "I Luoghi del Cuore" (the places of the heart) promoted by Italian Environmental Fund (FAI) in cooperation with the bank.
    The initiative enables Italians to vote for a place they would like to safeguard This will give the former convent a chance of using funding for a renovation, if it is among the most voted sites.