BRIDGING SOUNDS: JAZZ IN GLOBAL DIALOGUE - Music, Cultural Welfare and Social Cohesion
ITALIAN JAZZ CONFERENCE
BEYOND EUROPE AT VISA FOR MUSIC 2026
BRIDGING SOUNDS: JAZZ IN GLOBAL DIALOGUE
Music, Cultural Welfare and Social Cohesion
Saturday, 21 November 2026
10:00 a.m.–12:00 p.m.
INSMAC – Institut National Supérieur de Musique et des Arts Chorégraphiques
Next to the Mohammed V National Theatre, Rabat, Morocco
The conference is open to everyone.
ABOUT THE CONFERENCE
The contemporary world is experiencing unprecedented mobility of people, cultures and artistic practices. In this context, music is increasingly called upon not only to create artistic value, but also to generate social value, foster mutual understanding and strengthen community bonds.
Jazz occupies a unique position within this landscape. Born from encounters between different cultural traditions and shaped by migration, dialogue and improvisation, jazz has always represented a laboratory for coexistence and creative exchange. Its history demonstrates how cultural diversity can become a source of innovation, inclusion and collective growth.
“Bridging Sounds: Jazz in Global Dialogue” explores the role of jazz as a platform for intercultural dialogue and examines how encounters between jazz and world music traditions can contribute to cultural welfare, social cohesion and sustainable community development.
The conference proposes a shift from a purely aesthetic understanding of music towards a broader vision that recognises artistic practices as tools for wellbeing, participation and civic engagement. Music is considered not only as a cultural product, but also as a form of social infrastructure capable of generating inclusion, strengthening communities and creating opportunities for dialogue across generations, cultures and territories.
Particular attention will be devoted to the Mediterranean region as a historical crossroads of peoples, languages and musical traditions. Within this context, dialogue between jazz and world music offers a powerful example of how artistic cooperation can contribute to mutual understanding, cultural diplomacy and lasting relationships between communities.
The conference will bring together music historians, cultural professionals, journalists, curators and representatives of international cultural organisations.
This event is part of “Italian Jazz Conference – Beyond Europe at Visa For Music 2026”, marking the first time that an Italian Jazz Conference has been organised outside Europe. A delegation of approximately thirty Italian jazz professionals will take part in Visa For Music, developing new relationships with artists, festivals, markets and professional networks from the Mediterranean, Africa and the Middle East.
PROGRAMME
10:00–10:45 a.m.
OPENING SESSION
Music, Cultural Welfare and Social Cohesion
Moderator:
Angelo Valori – President of I-Jazz, Composer, Conductor and Educator
Welcome and institutional remarks:
Angelo Valori – President of I-Jazz
Brahim El Mazned – Cultural Entrepreneur and Founding Director of Visa For Music
Institutional representative of the Embassy of Italy in Rabat
KEYNOTE ADDRESS
Francesco Martinelli – Jazz Historian and Author
“THIS IS OUR MUSIC: Tradition, Transmission and Trespassing in Jazz”
The keynote will explore the processes of tradition, transmission and trespassing that have shaped the history of jazz, highlighting its mobile, intercultural and continuously evolving nature.
10:45–11:00 a.m.
FOCUS TALK
Enrico Bettinello – Cultural Project Designer, Curator and Professor
“Italian Jazz and the Mediterranean: Reimagining Musical Relations”
11:00–11:45 a.m.
INTERNATIONAL ROUND TABLE
“Jazz and World Music: The Mediterranean as a Space for Musical Dialogue”
Moderator:
Fabio Scopino – CEO and Co-Founder of Italian World Beat
Speakers:
Alceste Ayroldi – Journalist, Musicologist and Lecturer
Silvia Boschero – Music Journalist, Radio Presenter and Psychologist
Francesca Cerretani – Event & Office Manager, Europe Jazz Network
Valentina Lo Surdo – Music Journalist, Broadcaster and Musician
11:45 a.m.–12:00 p.m.
AUDIENCE Q&A AND OPEN DISCUSSION
Organized by I-Jazz, with the support of Visa For Music, the Italian Cultural Institute of Rabat and the Italian Ministry of Culture, in collaboration with Italian World Beat.