Alessandra Belloni, John La Barbera, and I Giullari Di Piazza, with special guest Giovannangelo de Gennaro, perform a program that includes healing chants, ritual drumming, and trance dance ceremonies from Southern Italy, France, and Spain in honor of the Black Madonna.

This special concert is a dynamic mixture of musical, dance, and drumming performances, featuring guest artist Giovannangelo de Gennaro, a leading expert in medieval and early music, performing medieval sacred chants taken from Livre Vermelleis (The Red book) a collection of sacred chants for the Black Madonna from Montserrat, Spain also performed in Italy.

I Giullari di Piazza was founded in 1980 by Artistic Director Alessandra Belloni and Music Director John La Barbera. The group specializes in medieval pilgrimage songs, Southern Italian tarantellas and devotional chants, and folk and ritual drumming traditions. This concert celebrates the 45th anniversary of the group’s founding and features selections from its original opera, Voyage of the Black Madonna, which was a watershed creation for the company. It premiered at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine in 1991,