It's Piano Festival time in Bari: the eighth edition of music, visions, and the city.

A journey through time and space through the piano, bringing music beyond conventional venues and into squares, parks, beaches, and monuments. The Bari Piano Festival, now in its eighth year, returns with this format from August 22nd to 29th. The event, conceived by the City of Bari and promoted and organized by Puglia Culture with the support of the Puglia Region, in collaboration with the Academy of Fine Arts and under the patronage of the Niccolò Piccinni Conservatory, is under the artistic direction of Emanuele Arciuli. The festival was presented today in the presence of, among others, Arciuli, City Councilor for Culture Paola Romano, and Puglia Culture President Paolo Ponzio.

The program ranges from classical to contemporary, including jazz, minimalist, experimental, and folk music, thanks to the presence of great pianists from around the world. The festival symbolically opens tomorrow (7:00 p.m.) with a preview at Fortino Sant'Antonio, featuring the piano duo Anastasia & Liubov Gromoglasova. The season will really get going at the end of August: in addition to the concerts, for the first time, from August 20th to 30th, an artist-in-residence program will be held, led by Nani Chacon, an internationally renowned Native American artist. Chacon, alongside two young students from the Academy of Fine Arts, Gabriele Natuzzi and Marica Ciocia, will create an urban mural that will be unveiled as a work-in-progress during selected concerts and in its final form at a preview presentation on August 30th.

"Among the key debuts," said Arciuli, "stand out those of Lambert (as a trio), Nduduzo Makhatini, and Wilhelm Latchoumia, all making their first appearance in Puglia. The inauguration will be entrusted to Alexander Lonquich." The 'Words Without Music' section also returns, featuring composers Filippo Del Corno and Marco Tutino. Among the city locations involved are the forecourt of the Basilica of San Nicola (August 22), Pane e Pomodoro beach for the closing concerts (August 28, 29), Fortino Sant'Antonio, and Rossani Park.