Matera hosted “A Sea of Music. A Tale of the Mediterranean” in Piazza San Francesco, an event promoted by Fondazione Carical as part of the initiatives linked to Matera 2026 Mediterranean Capital of Culture and Dialogue. The evening marked the announcement of the finalists for the 20th edition of the Mediterranean Culture Award. The event was hosted by journalist and writer Karima Moual and opened with institutional remarks by the Mayor of Matera, Antonio Nicoletti, the President of Fondazione Carical, Giovanni Pensabene and the Director General of the Fondazione Matera Basilicata 2019, Rita Orlando.

The programme alternated cultural discussions with artistic performances, featuring dance choreographies by Mary D’Alessio, theatrical performances by actor Manuel Santagata and music by Piccola Banda Ikona, led by Stefano Saletti, taking the audience on a journey through the sounds, languages and traditions of the Mediterranean. During the evening, the finalists were announced across the Award’s categories: Civil Society, Human Sciences, Fiction, Young Adult Fiction, Information Culture and Translation. The latter is one of the Award’s most distinctive features, as it is the only prize of its kind to include a dedicated category for translation, recognising its key role as a tool for access to knowledge and intercultural dialogue. Translation enables ideas and literary works to travel across borders, fostering broader and more inclusive cultural participation. The winners will be announced on 16 October at the Teatro “Alfonso Rendano” in Cosenza. Now in its twentieth edition, the Mediterranean Culture Award continues to serve as an important observatory on the cultural and social transformations shaping the Mediterranean area, with a particular focus on dialogue among people, the promotion of reading and educational initiatives for younger generations.

Giovanni Pensabene, President of Fondazione Carical, highlighted that the theme chosen for the 2026 edition is the AI, identified as one of the key forces shaping knowledge, information and creativity. This theme follows previous editions dedicated to issues such as migration, war, peace and climate change. The Award’s founder, Mario Bozzo, emphasised the symbolic value of choosing Matera as the venue for the announcement, in the year in which the city shares the title of Mediterranean Capital of Culture and Dialogue with Tetouan, Morocco. In her remarks, General Director Rita Orlando stressed that a Mediterranean Capital of Culture and Dialogue has a responsibility to reaffirm the Mediterranean’s role as a cradle of ancient civilisations, a space of encounter, exchange and cultural interaction, crossed for centuries by peoples who have travelled, migrated and built lasting connections.