Music and solidarity

At the Vatican concert with the poor with Oscar-winning Zimmer, composer of famous soundtracks from Lion King to Gladiator

Guests of honour in the front row 3,000 indigent people who will receive a hot meal to take away at the end of the concert

7 December 2024

5' min read

Key points

Zimmer's famous soundtracks, from Lion King to Gladiator
Three thousand indigent guests of honour
Monsignor Frisina: sharing the gift of music with the weakest
Solidarity and proximity concert
Two works by street artist Atoche as a gift
Planting of 150 olive trees
The flea market to affirm the importance of reuse

5' min read

Music and solidarity. On 7 December 2024, at 5.30 p.m., the Paul VI Hall in the Vatican will host the fifth edition of the "Concert with the Poor", an event of music and solidarity, which this year will see the extraordinary participation of Oscar winner Hans Zimmer, together with composers Monsignor Marco Frisina and Dario Vero, and the presence of Grammy-nominated cellist Tina Guo. On stage to present the actress Serena Autieri who will sing as soloist in two pieces by Maestro Frisina. The day of 7 December opens in the morning with a private audience with Pope Francis for the artists and partners of Nova Opera, which is coordinating the event.

Famous Zimmer soundtracks, from Lion King to Gladiator

Maestro Zimmer, composer of some of the most famous soundtracks - including 'The Lion King', 'Gladiator', 'Pirates of the Caribbean', 'Interstellar' and 'Pearl Harbor' - will play and introduce his most beautiful pieces, alternating on stage with Maestro Frisina, who will perform some of the pieces he composed for films with a religious theme, accompanied by the Nova Opera Orchestra, made up of 75 musicians from all over Europe, as well as the 250 members of the Choir of the Diocese of Rome, which is celebrating its 40th anniversary this year.

Three thousand indigent guests of honour

The evening's guests of honour were 8,000, including about 3,000 needy people of all languages and religions, invited to participate through the Dicastery for the Service of Charity - Apostolic Electorate and numerous voluntary associations that assist them on a daily basis. The most needy are involved thanks to the Dicastery for Charity and many associations in the area, including Caritas of Rome, the Community of Sant'Egidio, the Sovereign Military Order of Malta, the Circolo San Pietro, the Centro Astalli for Refugees, the Acli of Rome and the John XXIII Community. At the end of the Concert, as usual, a hot take-away dinner will be served for over 3,000 people, offered this year by the Pamor company of the Amoruso family who will distribute it together with many volunteers.

Zimmer: art and music powerful instruments of solidarity

"I am deeply honoured to participate in the Concert with the Poor, here at the Vatican, an event that demonstrates how art and music can be powerful instruments of solidarity and inclusion," commented Oscar Award winner Hans Zimmer. "This," he recalled, "is not just a concert: it is an act of love, a concrete gesture towards those who are less fortunate, an invitation to reflect on what unites us as human beings". Renowned cellist Tina Guo emphasised that participating in the Concert 'is an extraordinary and deeply moving experience. Music has always had the power to unite, to transcend cultural and social barriers, and this occasion is a shining testimony of how art can inspire hope and cohesion.

Monsignor Frisina: sharing the gift of music with the weak

"The Concert with the Poor," stressed Monsignor Marco Frisina, "represents an extraordinary opportunity to share the gift of music with our weaker brothers and sisters. Our wish is to offer them, in the majesty of the Paul VI Hall, the opportunity to participate in a high-level Concert, with a great orchestra and choir and with extraordinary guests. This means giving our friends something great and elevated by putting them at the centre of the event, in the front row, the one that is usually reserved for so-called important personalities". Master Dario Vero said he was deeply honoured and happy to conduct the Nova Opera Orchestra at the Concert with the Poor. "When I was offered the orchestral direction of this annual event with such distinguished artists, my reaction was one of pure joy. It is an immense privilege to be able to play and conduct for the less fortunate. I deeply believe that in life it is important to give, more than to receive. This project represents the heart of music: bringing joy, emotion and dignity to those who need it most',

Concert appointment of solidarity and proximity

Born in 2015 from an idea of Riccardo Rossi and Gualtiero Ventura and organised by Nova Opera with the Artistic Direction of Monsignor Marco Frisina, the "Concert with the Poor" over the years has established itself as a unique artistic event, an appointment of solidarity and closeness. A musical journey to celebrate beauty and charity through the universal language of art. The event is sponsored by the Governorate of Vatican City State, the Dicastery for the Service of Charity - Apostolic Elemosinery, the Dicastery for Culture and Education and the Pontifical Institute of Sacred Music. The four previous editions have seen the participation of some of the greatest exponents of the international music scene, including conductors Daniel Oren and Speranza Scappucci and composers Ennio Morricone and Nicola Piovani, as well as prestigious collaborations such as the Orchestra and Choir of the Teatro dell'Opera di Roma, the Choir of the Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia, the Orchestra of the Teatro Verdi di Salerno, the Orchestra Italiana del Cinema and the Roma Sinfonietta orchestra.

Two works by street artist Atoche as a gift

On the initiative of Nova Opera, this year the Concert with the Poor broadens its message, embracing the theme of care for Creation and sustainability, thanks to the participation of partners committed to the ethics of change. A synergy between Italian realities dedicated to sustainability that, on the occasion of the 7 December event, demonstrate how art, nature and solidarity can intertwine in a single vision of hope and collective responsibility for the good of the earth, the common home of all peoples. The non-profit organisation Yourban2030, will donate two works by the street artist Atoche, made with Airlite company's air-purifying and photocatalytic paints: one of the works, a portrait of Pope Francis surrounded by luxuriant nature will be donated to His Holiness, while a second canvas, measuring 3x2 metres, will welcome participants in the foyer of the Paul VI Hall, as a further sign of the responsibility for the care of the 'common home'.

Planting of 150 olive trees

AzzeroCO2 and Nova Opera, as part of the Ortofrutteto Solidale Diffuso campaign, have implemented the project: "music bears good fruit", which envisages the planting of 150 olive trees at the Cooperativa Sociale Agricoltura Capodarco, where the themes of hospitality and solidarity towards and with those living in disadvantaged conditions merge with constant action oriented towards social inclusion and labour integration. The plants will make it possible to expand an existing olive grove, to give continuity to the projects already started by the cooperative together with the guests, who will also take care of the maintenance of the olive grove. Sustainability, for AzzeroCO2 and Nova Opera, is also social justice, a vision that reflects the words of Pope Francis' Encyclical Letter Fratelli Tutti, which call for a humanity of solidarity and inclusion, in which "no one is left behind".

The flea market to affirm the importance of reuse

The Concert With the Poor will also be an opportunity to give the initiated project a popularising and educational value. Before the start of the Concert, 8,000 bookmarks will be distributed to inform all those taking part in the event of the collaboration in favour of sustainability. A bookmark made of plantable paper, because from the seeds contained within it flowers can grow: an ecological choice that evokes the idea that from every small gesture new ones can sprout. The partnership with the company "Mercatino dell'Usato" wishes to affirm the attention towards the themes of reuse and the fight against fast fashion, and for this reason a collection of clothes has been chosen and will contribute to the evening by donating clothes to the most needy.