1. Distinguished Authorities and Esteemed Guests, I’m honoured to represent the Italian Conservatories on the occasion of this musical tribute, which opens the proceedings of the Conference.
2. Thank You for dedicating Your time to listening to our young students.
3. They are a wonderful expression of our academic Institutions of music and fine arts.
4. Today, they share a special bond with the artists of Sardinian ethnic tradition.
5. I extend my respectful greetings and gratitude to the Minister of University and Research, Anna Maria Bernini, on behalf of the Conservatories of Sassari and Cagliari and the Academy of Fine Arts of Sassari, together with Presidents Aldo Accardo and Giorgio Auneddu Mossa, and Directors Mariano Meloni, Aurora Cogliandro and Daniele Dore.
6. Minister Bernini’s commitment to music and art is evident in her daily work, which she passionately pursues, supported by her dedicated collaborators, Alessandra Gallone and Lamberto Moruzzi.
7. Once again, Minister, You have embraced the Institutions of higher artistic and musical education, enhancing this prestigious scientific gathering with the beauty of music and art.
8. I extend a respectful greeting to the Distinguished Guests and the International Authorities: You are welcome in this land brought to life by the sounds of the winds, the sea and the fields animated by flocks.
9. You are fortunate to witness this land of proud silence whose notes are written in the Sardinian people’s thousand-year-old historical and artistic heritage.

Conferenza Nazionale dei Presidenti dei Conservatori di Musica – Ministero dell’Università e della Ricerca Roma

10. I also thank Directors Alberto Masoni, Gian Carlo Grandi and Michela Pellegatta, who helped us create this special moment for You.
11. The young artists, You honour today with Your warm presence, seek silence to listen.
12. This silence helps them listen to others and themselves and teaches us to listen.
13. Like science, music cultivates silence, essential for interweaving harmonies, rhythms, and melodies, creating a fertile ground for fostering connections and relationships.
14. So, let me take a moment to reflect on human-being interaction and its fundamental components: meeting and listening.
15. Meeting and looking at the other is the first form of interaction.
16. Listening to the other is the first form of humanity.
17. Human society is like a great orchestra.
18. All the instruments are different, but they communicate with each other and, like artists, they make harmony possible.
19. Harmony is the realization of consonance.
20. Listening is recognizing and embracing diversity and knowing how to bring it together.
21. That is because there can be no success without sharing.
22. I hope you find joy and enrichment in this experience and forever carry with You the melodies and smiles of Sardinia.
23. The most outstanding scientists are not those who assert knowledge the loudest, but those who listen to others the most.
24. Thank You, and welcome to the wonders of our island of sounds and silences!

Ivano Iai