Ocarina Festival

Where: various locations - 40054 Budrio (BO)
When: April 10-13th, 2025

The Budrio International Ocarina Festival, now in its twelfth year, will be held April 10-13, 2025, celebrating Budrio's iconic heritage instrument. 

This edition includes guests, musicians and makers from all over the world. In the 1980s and 1990s, in fact, this particular wind instrument also spread to countries such as China, Korea, Japan and Taiwan, becoming a cult object for all fans who, every two years, make this small musical pilgrimage to the ocarina's place of origin.

Belonging to the flute family, this instrument has an elongated ovoid shape that recalls precisely that of a small goose (ucareina in local dialect) without a head, with a mouthpiece on the side and in the body several holes, which, discovered a little at a time while playing, give the extension up to the eleventh. 

During the festival there will be many events dedicated to this particular instrument: concerts with soloists from all over the world, performances in the streets, exhibitions, concerts and much more.

PROGRAM:

April 10, 2025

• 9 p.m. - Budrio, Consorziale Theater
  Elio in “Le Sottilissime Astuzie di Bertoldo”: musical performance with Elio, Vincenzo Capezzuto, Soqquadro Italiano and the Gruppo Ocarinistico Budriese.

April 11, 2025

• 09:00 a.m. - Budrio, Consortium Theater
  Ocarinando - Part 1: performance by the students of the Ocarinando Project.
• 3:30 p.m. - Bologna, Museum of Music
  Round Table: Beyond Folklore - debate with experts on traditional culture.
• 4:30 p.m. - Budrio, Parish Church of San Lorenzo
  Ocarinando - Part 2: Performances by youth music groups and Japanese duo “Flowers of Hiroshima.”
• 9 p.m. - Budrio, Consorziale Theater
  Ocarina Legends from the World: international concert dedicated to the ocarina.
• 9 p.m. - Casalecchio di Reno, Laura Betti Theater
  Replica of “Le Sottilissime Astuzie di Bertoldo” with Elio.

April 12, 2025

• 10:15 a.m. - Budrio, Municipal Auditorium
  “Saturday with the Ocarina” workshop: activities for children ages 8 to 11.
• 11:15 a.m. - Budrio, Ocarina Museum
  Guided tour of the Ocarina Museum with Cristian Paolini.
• 11:30 a.m. - Budrio, Le Torri dell'Acqua
  Workshop “The Ocarina in Irish Music” by Robert Hickman.
• 3 p.m. - Budrio, Le Torri dell'Acqua
  Zither workshop: history, construction and use of the instrument.
• 3:30 p.m. and 5 p.m. - Budrio, Villa Certani Vittori Venenti
  Guided tour of the Villa Certani Vittori Venenti.
• 9:00 p.m. - Budrio, Consorziale Theater
  Grand Ocarina Gala: with the Gruppo Ocarinistico Budriese and the BenTiVoglio Youth Orchestra.
• 11 p.m. - Budrio, Le Torri dell'Acqua 
  Godblesscomputers feat. L'Ocarina Elettronica: live with beatmaker Godblesscomputers and Fabio Galliani. 

April 13, 2025

• 12:00 p.m. - Budrio, Le Torri dell'Acqua
  “First Steps with the Ocarina” workshop by Robert Hickman.
• 2:30 p.m. and 4 p.m. - Budrio, Accademia dei Notturni
  Guided tour of Villa Ranuzzi Cospi (Accademia dei Notturni).
• 5:00 p.m. - Budrio, Consorziale Theater
  Concert “Modena City Ramblers meet the Ocarinas”: performance on the occasion of the 80th anniversary of the Liberation.

For information and full program see the Festival website.