Intercultural Institute of Comparative Music Studies

The Institute promotes the understanding of musical expression across various cultures and investigates contemporary musical processes from an intercultural perspective. It organises seminars, scientific conferences on intercultural musicology, theoretical and practical masterclasses, and concerts dedicated to the musical traditions and dance of contemporary world cultures. Particular attention is given to teaching and collaboration with local cultural institutions, primarily Ca’ Foscari University.

Founded in 1969 by Alain Daniélou at the Fondazione Giorgio Cini in conjunction with the Intercultural Institute of Comparative Music Studies and Documentation in Berlin (established in 1963), the Venetian Institute, during its first ten years of activity, raised awareness in the West about the foremost interpreters of major non-European musical traditions. This was achieved by coordinating European festivals and creating an LP series, Musical Atlas, published by EMI in collaboration with UNESCO.

In addition to various initiatives hosted on the Island of San Giorgio Maggiore, the Institute promotes its events online, particularly through video excerpts on the Foundation’s YouTube channel and in its publications. In 1979, the Institute founded the Intercultural School of Music in Venice in collaboration with the Fond International pour la Promotion de la Culture (UNESCO), the University of Venice, and the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation in Lisbon. The School represented a unique initiative in Italy to introduce and promote the world’s great musical and choreographic traditions, especially those of India. Since 1993, the Institute has further strengthened its scientific focus in ethnomusicology and comparative musicology through various projects, including a 20-year cycle of International Ethnomusicology Seminars curated by Francesco Giannattasio. Scientific and spectacular initiatives, such as the Polifonie ‘in viva voce’ cycle curated by Maurizio Agamennone, have been held in close collaboration with multiple institutions, including Ca’ Foscari University of Venice and the Fondazione Teatro La Fenice. In 1999, the Institute became one of the institutes of the Fondazione Giorgio Cini, establishing its own historical archive, which includes the Alain Daniélou Archive and an important collection of videotaped documentation dating back to 1979.

The Institute also maintains its own editorial series, Intersezioni musicali, in collaboration with the publisher Nota of Udine.

Since 2004, the Institute has been directed by Giovanni Giuriati.