After one song comes another – Festival of Anti-fascist Choirs

A Festival of Voices in the Red Fields of Casa Cervi

"After one song comes another" is the festival of anti-fascist choirs that enlivens Casa Cervi for an entire day in Gattatico, in the province of Reggio Emilia. The location is not accidental: the Red Fields surrounding the museum are the symbolic heart of the Emilian Resistance, the land of the Cervi family and the seven brothers shot in December 1943. Here, every year, memory becomes collective participation, and popular song becomes a tool for civic engagement.

The Title and Its Meaning

The name of the event reclaims and transforms a famous phrase by Alcide Cervi, the father of the seven brothers, spoken after the tragedy: "After one harvest comes another." That thought of resistance and rebirth is adapted to singing, understood as a new form of contemporary Resistance, capable of uniting generations and opening a reflection on the present through music and art.

Over 300 Voices from Three Countries

The festival brings together over twenty choirs and more than 300 singers from not only all over Italy but also from France and Belgium, in a truly international dimension. The repertoires range from songs of struggle and work to those of the rice-weeders (mondine), from partisan songs to polyphonic folk music. The organization is curated by the Alcide Cervi Institute in collaboration with OltreCoro, a political and polyphonic choir born in the Oltretorrente district of Parma.

A Day Open to All

The event takes place in the large park of Casa Cervi and includes a free picnic, a collective singing workshop also open to those who do not usually sing, performances by guest choirs, and a convivial dinner featuring gnocco fritto and cured meats, traditional Emilian dishes. Admission is free and open to all: anyone can participate, listen, sing, and join for dinner in one of the most beloved places of anti-fascist memory in Emilia-Romagna.

An Event in the Casa Cervi Network

"After one song comes another" is part of the Alcide Cervi Institute's calendar of initiatives, which throughout the year offers visits to the Cervi Museum, cultural meetings, and the famous Anti-fascist Pasta meal in July. The festival of choirs brings a crowd of folk and choral singing enthusiasts to the Municipality of Gattatico, and more generally to Emilia-Romagna, confirming the Red Fields as a vibrant space for culture, music, and engagement.