Many Italian and foreign singers have accepted the proposal to perform for the solidarity call to send a solidarity SMS to the number 45594 in support of two of the many projects around the world responding to children, especially those most hindered in their emotional and intellectual growth.
There will be many singers on stage, including Italians Roberto Vecchioni, Ricchi e Poveri, Fabrizio Moro, Ditonellapiaga, Raphael Gualazzi, Iva Zanicchi, Boomdabash, Fausto Leali, Omar Pedrini, Arianna, Maestro Andrea Griminelli, Alma Manera, Maestro Andrea Bacchetti, Valentina Parisse and the Piccolo Coro Le Dolci Note; and many international artists such as Lusaint, Dotan, The Trammps, Angelique Kidjo, Emeli Sandé and the Benedict Gospel Choir.
Two direct witnesses will also take the stage at the Conciliation Auditorium in Rome: Salesians Fr Linus Onyenagubo, Head of Reception of the Bosco Boys Network in Nigeria, and Ukrainian missionary Fr Mykhaylo Chaban, Superior of the Salesian Mary Help of Christians Vice-Province of Ukraine (UKR). Both will be interviewed by the presenter Federica Panicucci, leading the evening.
The Christmas Concert, with its long history of humanitarian and social commitment, has woven a valuable network of connections among different countries and cultures. Over these three decades, numerous national and international artists have lit up the stage of the Christmas Concert, helping to spread a message of unity and solidarity. This event continues to transform the passion for music into concrete actions that make a difference in the lives of many people.
The Concert is sponsored by the Fondazione Cultura per l 'Educazione, the Vatican Dicastery for Culture and Education.
The numerous artists were received in a private audience by the Holy Father on 14 December, the date on which the Concert was recorded at the Auditorium in Rome. Pope Francis stressed the importance of music in creating unity and fostering communion. The Pontiff reminded musicians that the world and the Church need their talents, their ideal creativity, their ability to give themselves and their passion for justice and fellowship.
Pope Francis expressed his appreciation for the choice to dedicate the concert to the theme of hope, "a common thread of artistic and solidarity testimonies, in particular in support of the Salesian missionaries who work with young people all over the world". This, the Pope added, places the artists of the Christmas Concert "in tune with the journey of the whole Church for the Jubilee: pilgrims of hope".
