Femina – My Voice is the Whole World

A festival of voices at the Castello Volante

Femina – My Voice is the Whole World is an artistic residency and widespread festival that, every autumn, transforms the Castello Volante of Corigliano d'Otranto (Lecce province, in the heart of Grecìa Salentina) into a grand home for female voices. Established in December 2023, the event is conceived and directed by Salento-based singer and vocal coach Rachele Andrioli together with the Coro a Coro APS association, which has long promoted a popular choral singing project open to everyone.

For several days, the medieval castle in the town of Corigliano d'Otranto welcomes choristers and singers from all over Italy to share an intensive choral singing journey, alongside a wider audience participating in concerts, performances, exhibitions, and public meetings.

Singing, memory, and women's voices

The common thread of Femina is women's voices and the stories they carry: hospitality, resistance, care, migration, and the memory of crafts and communities. Each edition brings different singing traditions into dialogue—Salento singing, Sicilian traditions, and popular repertoires from the Mediterranean and beyond—through workshops led by prominent artists and researchers.

• Choral singing and vocal training workshops led by Rachele Andrioli and guests such as Barbara Crescimanno, Simona Di Gregorio, Carolina Bubbico, and Davide Ambrogio.
• Evening concerts open to the public, featuring Rachele Andrioli & Coro a Coro and guests from the Salento and international music scenes.
• Theatrical performances, talks, presentations, photography exhibitions, and audiovisual installations.
• The traditional singing lunch that concludes the residency in a spirit of sharing.

A project of Grecìa Salentina

Femina is a project by Coro a Coro APS, realized in collaboration with Borgo Volante and the Castello Volante, with the patronage of the Municipality of Corigliano d'Otranto, the Province of Lecce, and the Equal Opportunities Commission, and with the participation of numerous local associations and cultural entities. The festival has grown year by year, establishing itself as one of the most original events in the Salento cultural autumn: not just a simple program of shows, but a true space for encounter where singing becomes a tool for connection between different generations, cultures, and territories.

The Castello Volante, with its courtyards, historic halls, and restored spaces, offers a suggestive setting for an event that combines artistic dimension, civic engagement, and a focus on women's issues in one of the most fascinating areas of Salento and Puglia.