Osaka – The Italian Pavilion at Expo 2025 Osaka continues its rich program of major musical events. On October 8 at 6:00 p.m., the Arena Matsuri will host the Popular Orchestra “La Notte della Taranta”, the core ensemble of one of Europe’s most renowned folk music festivals, which every summer lights up the Salento region of southern Italy.

After the success of their May performance at the Italian Pavilion—which had audiences dancing in Piazza Italia—the ensemble returns to Japan to bring the hypnotic rhythm of pizzica pizzica, the centuries-old dance of Salento, to life in a vibrant celebration.

The La Notte della Taranta Foundation has long been open to cross-cultural collaboration, blending research and creativity to give new form to tradition. Reflecting this spirit, the Osaka concert will feature the Kurage Band led by Sachiko Nakajima, producer of the Jellyfish Pavilion, with whom the Italian Pavilion has developed multiple artistic partnerships.

“This concert is part of our broader mission to present Italy’s regional excellence on the world stage,” said Mario Vattani, Commissioner General for Italy at Expo 2025 Osaka. “La Notte della Taranta embodies the vitality of our territories, the real protagonists of our cultural and creative promotion efforts.”

On stage: Roberto Chiga, Alessandro Chiga, Carlo De Pascali (tambourines); Nico Berardi (winds); Giuseppe Astore (violin); Antonio Marra (drums); Mario Esposito (bass); Alessandro Ferrari (mandola); Ernesto Seclì (accordion); Attilio Turrisi (guitar); Consuelo Alfieri, Piero Balsamo, Salvatore Galeanda, and Stefania Morciano (vocals and tambourine). Dancers include Cristina Frassanito, Fabrizio Nigro, Serena Pellegrino, Mattia Politi, Stefano Campagna, and Lucia Scarabino.

The concert program retraces the rich legacy of La Notte della Taranta’s music directors (Maestri Concertatori), capturing the energy and variety of its twenty-eight editions. The dance that accompanies the performance reimagines the visual and symbolic power of the pizzica pizzica, turning it into a shared ritual of rhythm, color, and movement.