Italy’s Assomusica elects new president
Italy’s live music association Assomusica has announced the election of promoter Carlo Parodi as its new president following the 35th National Assembly of Associates.
Parodi becomes the sixth president of Assomusica, which was founded in Florence in 1996, succeeding the late Vincenzo Spera, who passed away in a road accident earlier this year.
A music promoter from Turin with over 30 years’ experience, Parodi is the founder of the Collegno’s Flowers Festival and the Hiroshima Mon Amour live music club.
The Assembly also elected the new board of directors, which now comprises Vincenzo Bellini, Paolo De Biasi, Fulvio De Rosa, Giuseppe Gomez Paloma, Giampaolo Grotta and Rita Zappador. Di Biasi had served as interim president since Spera’s death.
“The most complex issues will be addressed immediately, with great attention and care”
“It is with a sense of pride, as well as great responsibility and commitment, that I welcome this appointment and the trust that is being placed in me and in the new board of directors,” says Parodi. “The most complex issues will be addressed immediately, with great attention and care.
“On a personal level, I will commit to being everyone’s president, and those who know me know that this isn’t just a cliché. I will try to play my part, bringing my experience to the table, and taking on all the issues in the lively, structured industry of live music. We are now past the pandemic, that has proven how complex this segment of the cultural industry is and has shown that, in order to stand strong, Assomusica needs to be cohesive. And this, perhaps, is one of the most challenging legacies left by Vincenzo Spera.”
Salvitelle-born Spera founded event management company Duemilagrandieventi in 1974 and went on to work with a host of international artists, from Miles Davis to Bob Dylan, as well as household Italian entertainers such as Beppe Grillo to Fabrizio De André.
He held the role of Assomusica president for more than a decade, representing the majority of live music companies in Italy. News of his death in March sparked an outpouring of tributes from the industry.
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