In order to approach the world of Alpine choirs eighty years after the Pedrotti brothers started their first choir, one needs to try to understand what it means to live in the mountains, to live in a community, and to have a passion for singing together. One of the most significant expressions of Alpine culture is certainly choral folk singing. Choirs of the Trentino region have always been the archetype of all Alpine choirs, particularly the SAT (Alpine society of the Trentino region) choir. A true and fully human culture can only originate from the experience of a people, i.e., a community of friends cooperating for an ideal, and trying to find the proper instruments to realize it. Various cultural identities and single belongings, to the extent in which they live their own human experience in a specific place, cannot close themselves within their provincialism, but rather open up to humanity in its various expressions. The life events of the four Pedrotti brothers – Enrico, Mario, Silvio and Aldo -, professional photographers and founders of the SAT association, lend credence to this. They show that folk tradition, in order to stay alive, needs people who can give cultural and expressive dignity to its different aspects. From photography to the mountains, from music to choir singing: passion for what is beautiful and gives happiness is a consistent part of the life of the four brothers. They were passionate about the alpine choir and they were also aware of its cultural and education relevance. This is why they not only sang folk songs and melodies, both in concerts and on recordings, but also created means to spread alpine folk songs, such as songbooks with texts, music, and beautiful photos. Their friendship with great musicians like Luigi Pigarelli, Antonio Pedrotti, Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli, and Renato Dionisi were instrumental in generating a qualitative leap in their artistic production, because they enriched their repertoire by making it even more interesting and precious. The exhibition does not aim to add anything new to studies of folk music, or to be a complete presentation of alpine choirs. Through the life story of four brothers from the Trentino region, the exhibition hopes to portray the human experience that gave origin to the most beautiful Alpine choir, the SAT choir, which even today boasts many passionate fans. The exhibition also touches on the anthropological and cultural origins of Alpine songs, while pointing out how both the life of the Pedrotti brothers and the songs of the SAT choir point to “a people”: the people of the Trentino region, and the new people of the Alpine choirs. Some of the most beautiful artistic pictures that the four photographers took during their long careers that spanned the 1920’s to the 1980’s are displayed. To celebrate the 80th anniversary of the foundation of the SAT Choir, and to complete the themes of the exhibition, the Meeting program will also reserve an evening for a live performance of the SAT Choir. Thanks to this concert, the audience will have the opportunity to become acquainted with the appealing and beautiful songs of this choir first-hand. It will also be possible to attend a dress rehearsal that will take place on Thursday, August 24. To register, please write to info@madeofficinacreativa.com.

Edited by Marco Bettega, Aurelio Benetti, Chiara Benetti, Roberto Bazzanella, Alberto Lazzaretti, Paolo Bettega. In cooperation with Pier Paolo Bellini, Massimo Bernardini, Sandro Chierici, Giuseppe Molino.