Urban soundscapes: multi-ethnnic orchestras in Italian cities

Migrations are a profound social and cultural change in the context both of the country of origin contexts and of the country of arrival. The perceptions of Europe and of Italy in relation to the so-called "immigrants" become metaphors with which to think about the social changes that characterize cities themselves. Migration becomes a lens to interpret the actions, the behavior and the choices of individuals, revealing a real cultural question, a symbolic framework through which it is possible to process the social changes. In the case of itinerant migrant musicians, through contact, brings cultural change, often accompanied by fear and fascination, in a kind of uncertainty that characterizes many forms of exchange. The contact gives rise to cultural exchanges that result in the creation of a “hybrid”, a métissage, in which everything is in flux, including music. When people move to a new place they bring their music with them. Often the meaning of music changes. Sometimes it is used for other purposes; for instance it can become a tool for bringing people together. In this paper, which is based on fieldwork carried out in Italy during the last year, I would like to reflect on music transformation in a globalized urban context and in particular on the phenomenon of Multi-Ethnic Orchestras, originally formed in Italy in 2000, and how these musical activities created an effective vehicle for comparing differences, forms of contact, knowledge, integration, and solidarity.