The World Youth Orchestra Foundation has created the Sacred Sounds project, which has evolved over the years in various countries with many thematic variations. The initiative aims to resonate the strings of an artistic exercise that seeks to connect us with the world of the sacred, acknowledging that in art, the sacred has its unique expression that bridges all religious cultures. The project has been realized in different contexts, giving voice to various artistic elements.
The performances of the Sacred Sounds Project blend dramaturgical and musical contexts, staging medieval lauds, music, and sacred texts from various religious cultures. Sacred Sounds initiatives bring together young actors and musicians in places of great significance in the international cultural heritage.
In 2017, the initiative took place in Rome at the Basilica of S. Maria in Aracoeli and in Tehran, Iran, at the Vahdat Hall of the Roudaki Foundation, in collaboration with prominent institutions such as the Conservatory of Music S. Cecilia, the University Sapienza, and the Department of Music of the Ministry of Culture and the Islamic Republic of Iran. It received strong support from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation and the Pontifical Council for Culture right from the start. In 2022 and 2023, the project was hosted at the Sanctuary of Greccio and in Rome at the Basilica of S. Paolo Fuori le Mura as part of the Suoni per Roma event.
