The ancestral beat of the Salento pizzica has conquered the international scene Opening Ceremony of the Winter Paralympic Games 2026, which took place on March 6th at the Verona Arena.
Among the protagonists of “Volare Together”, the musical project created by Vittorio Cosma, stand out Antonio Castrignanò & Taranta Sounds together with Nymph Giannuzzi, artists who have brought the Mediterranean tradition into dialogue with the whole world.
An event of global resonance that transformed popular music in a universal language, capable of speaking to different cultures and sensitivities. Antonio Castrignanò, a reference interpreter of Mediterranean popular music, infused the performance with the archaic strength of pizzica, reinterpreting it in a contemporary, inclusive and shared key. His participation represented a fundamental piece in the creative structure of the ceremony, giving rhythm, energy and emotional depth to the final moment.
At the center of the performance, In the blue painted blue by Domenico Modugno embodied the values of freedom, imagination and upward momentum, in perfect harmony with the spirit of the Paralympic Movement. The final composition combined musical contributions from every corner of the world and Italy, from South to North, creating a unique sound mosaic, in which Castrignanò’s stylistic signature left an evocative and participatory imprint.
«It was an incredible honor to have taken part in a global event of such magnitude – declared the artist from Salento – in which art and sport become tools of cultural transformation. Both describe the individual in his entirety: strength, fragility, talent and diversity. Our goal was to create a sound and physical space designed for everyone, because inclusion means being there with dignity and uniqueness from the beginning.”
The inauguration of the Paralympics also marks the beginning of a period of intense artistic commitments for Antonio Castrignanò & Taranta Sounds. Major shows are planned between April and July 2026 Les Ballets de Monte-Carlodirected by Jean-Christophe Maillot, at the Grimaldi Forum in Monaco and at the Vaison Danse Festival in France.
After the success of three sold out evenings in Piazza Duomo in Lecce in July 2024, the collaboration between Castrignanò and the ballet continues in the show “Core Meu”, a unique encounter between the power of Salento’s oral tradition and the virtuosity of classical ballet. A collaboration born eight years ago, when Maillot discovered the artist’s ancestral and contemporary energy, sensing the potential of a combination without geographical or cultural boundaries.
With his participation in the Paralympics and upcoming international events, Antonio Castrignanò once again confirms the role of popular music as a tool for inclusion, dialogue and universal beauty.
