This project celebrates the pioneering work of American ethnomusicologist Alan Lomax and Italian scholar Diego Carpitella, who carried out a groundbreaking field recording campaign in Sicily in 1954. Their research preserved an extraordinary heritage of Italian folk music, bringing the voices of rural communities into the global conversation on culture, memory, and identity.
The event opens the exhibition Sicilia 1954. Il viaggio musicale di Alan Lomax e Diego Carpitella, curated by Sergio Bonanzinga of the University of Palermo, and Rosario Perricone, redearcher, featuring photographs, field notes, and recordings from this historic journey.
Program — Friday, May 15, 6:00 PM
Remarks: Claudio Pagliara, Director, Italian Cultural Institute
Introduction: Sergio Bonanzinga, University of Palermo, curator of the exhibition
Speakers: Anna Lomax Wood, Association for Cultural Equity; Jo Ann Cavallo, Columbia University; Joseph Sciorra, John D. Calandra Italian American Institute, Queens College, CUNY
Followed by the exhibition opening and a light reception.
The exhibition runs May 15–31, 2026. It is the second of five musical initiatives promoted by the Italian Cultural Institute of New York in partnership with Carnegie Hall’s United in Sound: America at 250 festival.
Credits
Curators: Sergio Bonanzinga, Rosario Perricone
Texts and captions: Sergio Bonanzinga
Quotations from Alan Lomax’s Sicilian diary manuscript transcribed by Francesca Emanuela Chimento, with invaluable assistance provided by Anna Lomax Wood.
Graphic design: Salvo Leo
Supported by: Alan Lomax Studies Centre, Palermo; Antonio Pasqualino International Puppet Museum, Palermo; Association for Cultural Equity, New York; Italian Cultural Institute of New York; Carnegie Hall – United in Sound: America at 250
In collaboration with;
University of Palermo, Department of Humanities; Palermo Academy of Fine Arts
Special thanks to
Giorgio Adamo, Anna Lomax Wood, Gianluca Serra
Why it belongs to United in Sound
Alan Lomax’s work created a meaningful bridge between Italy and the United States. His documentation of Italian folk traditions contributed not only to the preservation of Italy’s cultural heritage, but also to a broader American understanding of cultural diversity. This Italy–America dialogue reflects the spirit of United in Sound: America at 250: music as a vessel of migration, memory, and shared identity. The Lomax–Carpitella archive is both an Italian treasure and part of American cultural history, rooted in Lomax’s lifelong commitment to cultural 
It is not possible to make multiple reservations with the same email address.
Register to the Event