#GO2025FENICE Project

Thanks to the #GO2025FENICE project, financed by the INTERREG ITALY-SLOVENIA Programme (Fund for Small Projects GO! 2025), hundreds of children from Venetian, Gorizia and Slovenian primary schools will be involved in the production and dissemination of bilingual digital cultural content together with the La Fenice Theatre and Slovenian music schools in view of Nova Gorica - Gorizia for the European Capital of Culture 2025.

From September 2024 until May 2025, 21 classes selected from twelve Venetian schools are involved in the #GO2025FENICE project, financed by the INTERREG ITALY-SLOVENIA Programme (Small Projects Fund GO! 2025), promoted by the Municipality of Venice and the ZPGŠ Association of Music Schools of the Slovenian Littoral (Slovenia). The partners share the common challenge of co-operating for sustainable European socio-cultural development in order to overcome language barriers, cultural border fractures and historical problems of the 20th century, as well as to act for the inclusion of minorities.

The project includes two series of music workshops to learn Beethoven's Ode to Joy (the official anthem of the European Union since 1985) between October and November 2024. There will be 16 workshops for Venetian schools at the La Fenice Theatre and 11 workshops in Slovenia, which will take place on the premises of the schools registered with the ZPGŠ Association. At the end of the workshops each class will produce a bilingual video with the Ode to Joy, which will participate in selection competitions.

Twelve Venetian schools took part in the music workshops at La Fenice Theatre, which took place on Monday 14, 21, 28 October 2024 and Monday 4 November 2024: I.C.S. Morosini, I.C. San Girolamo, Istituto San Giuseppe, Scuola Secondaria di I Grado ‘Caio Giulio Cesare’, I. C. Viale San Marco, the San Gioacchino Institute, the I.C. Franca Ongaro, the I.C. Cesco Baseggio, the I.C. G. C. Parolari, the I.C. Ugo Foscolo of Murano and Burano, the Cavanis Institute, and the I.C. Antonio Gramsci. Europe Direct Venezia Veneto of the Municipality of Venice participated in the workshops at the La Fenice Theatre with the presentation of European flags.

There was also another appointment on the agenda on Saturday, 19 October at the La Fenice Theatre. This was a European music workshop with the Italian minorities in Slovenia and the Slovenian minorities in Italy, in which the video material was produced for the creation of the bilingual Italian/Slovenian multimedia teaching kit for teaching the European anthem in schools.

Between December 2024 and January 2025, two competitions will be opened in Italy and Slovenia. Two classes (one Italian and one Slovenian) will be selected among the Venetian and Slovenian classes that participated in the music workshops. The videos of the European Anthem produced by the schools will be voted 50% by popular vote (on Facebook for the Venetian schools and on YouTube for the Slovenian schools). For the other 50% a Jury of experts will carry out a qualitative vote. The two winning classes will perform at the European Concert together with the La Fenice Theatre Orchestra on May, 23  2025 at the Verdi Theatre in Nova Gorica - Gorizia for the European Capital of Culture 2025.

Among the project activities is the creation of an organic cake in the shape of a musical note. Skilled pastry chefs will unite Venice with Slovenia using only zero km ingredients. A successful product will be created for GO! 2025 with the aim of enhancing European ingenuity and the circular economy.

The initiative is part of a broader cross-border cultural educational project called "Schools of Venice, Rovinj and Pula creators for the cultural heritage of the Serenissima", focusing on 8 themes: sustainability, art, gastronomy, trade, architecture, ethnology, music and production. The cultural materials were conceived and produced in a contemporary key by hundreds of young people from both sides of the Adriatic in the concept "Adriatic North-East Europe" towards the European Capital of Culture 2025 Nova Gorica - Gorizia. Together with young people from high schools in Veneto and Istria, three innovative exhibitions on the cultural heritage of the Serenissima are planned. The cultural events will be held in Rovigno from 10 to 17 October 2024, then in Pula from 11 to 18 October and finally in Venice from 14 to 21 November. The exhibitions consist of 14 "pictures", i.e. specially created panels measuring 50 x 70 cm, presenting all the work carried out, the partners from Veneto and Istria, and texts and images produced on the project themes. 

For more information please visit the Venice City Council page dedicated to the initiative and the #GO2025FENICE project website.