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Music in the Halls: the festival in the barber shops of San Vito dei Normanni

Every year in late July in San Vito dei Normanni, a small town in the Brindisi area known for its mandolin music tradition, the doors of downtown barbershops are opened to the public to introduce the stories, characters and musical practices of traditional barbershops. Indeed, it was in artisan workshops and barber stores in particular, gathering places for the village community, that the art of the instrument, along with the wisdom of the barber’s trade, was passed down to the store boys and anyone else who was eager to learn it.

The two-day “Music in the Halls” enhances these places, involving artisans, traditional masters, young musicians, and the public in workshop activities dedicated to singing, dancing and music, guided tours and small concerts in the intimate and convivial atmosphere of the halls. Framing the festival is the food and wine element with the “Terra-Alto Salento” markets and local crafts. The event closes with an evening concert in Leonardo Leo Square, which for the occasion becomes an open-air dance hall with an “old-time” flavor: mazurkas, waltzes, polkas, tangos, quadrilles, schottish, operettas, and serenades.