Osvaldo Casanova's mural presented at the Pedrollo Conservatory

Conceived by artist Osvaldo Casanova, an expert in creating works in public spaces, the work was created as a permanent landmark in the urban and institutional context as part of the Pnrr Jerus-It-Arts project, led by the Vicenza Conservatory.

The new artwork consists of eight panels depicting the letters of the word "Pedrollo," associated with figures of musicians and traversed by an olive tree motif. The olive tree takes on a central symbolic value: a reference to the Holy Land and the historical and cultural connection with Jerusalem, but also an emblem of peace, mutual understanding, coexistence, and the encounter between different traditions.

Casanova's visual language, consistent with the artistic, identity-building, and communicative goals of the project, visually translates the connection between the Conservatory, the city of Vicenza, and the international dimension of the project.
With this project, music and visual arts meet in a dialogue between Italy and Jerusalem, giving the city a work that unites identity, memory, international openness, and a vocation for cultural exchange.

The inauguration was attended by Vicenza Mayor Giacomo Possamai, along with Councilors for Culture, Tourism, and City Attractiveness, Ilaria Fantin, and Youth Policy, Leonardo Nicolai. The Pedrollo Conservatory will be represented by President Rossella Olivo and Director Stefano Lorenzetti. Artist Osvaldo Casanova will also be present.

"This work is part of the ongoing street art initiative we're developing in the city, as we did with the works dedicated to Paolo Rossi, Palladio, and Matteotti. These interventions contribute to making urban spaces more beautiful, well-maintained, and recognizable, enhancing their identity and history. In this case, there's even more value: the mural makes the Pedrollo Conservatory even more recognizable, one of the most important cultural and educational venues in Vicenza, housed in a building of great architectural value. Osvaldo Casanova's work thus creates a visible and identifying sign that strengthens the bond between the Conservatory and the city, highlighting what is produced every day within the Pedrollo through music, education, and culture," said Mayor Giacomo Possamai.

"The administration supported the initiative carried out in this building owned by the Municipality thanks to the conservatory's great work," explained Culture Councilor Ilaria Fantin. "Now the Pedrollo has an entrance that enhances the beauty of its interior. Thanks to Deputy Director Davide Vendramin's idea, we decided to create an external image here in Vicenza, as is already the case at other conservatories in Europe, that would clearly convey what happens inside. Music is studied at the conservatory, but there are many initiatives that promote awareness of the art of music to the general public. Now we will tackle a new challenge: the restoration of the Canneti Auditorium, thanks once again to the Conservatory's invaluable collaboration.

Councilor for Youth Policies Leonardo Nicolai then spoke: "The Pedrollo mural fits perfectly with the Muri liberi project, which is bringing color to the city thanks to the creativity of graffiti artists. Thus, the neighborhoods and the historic center are united by a common thread that helps us improve the appearance of our city."

"This work is the result of a project that the Pedrollo Conservatory strongly supported and coordinated as part of the PNRR Jerus-It-Arts, of which we are the leader," stated President Rossella Olivo, President of the Pedrollo Conservatory. We felt it was important that a project designed to enhance the Conservatory's identity be shared with the city, including through the involvement of the Municipality of Vicenza. It is an artistic symbol that belongs to our Institute, but one that opens up to public space and dialogue with the community: a concrete way to restore beauty, culture, and recognizability to a place that is part of urban life.

"Jerus-It-Arts was born as a research project, but also as a journey of listening, encounter, and restitution," explained the Conservatory's director, Professor Stefano Lorenzetti, the project's scientific advisor. "The work carried out in the Holy Land, particularly in the study of historical instruments and organ pipes, has allowed us to engage with an extraordinarily rich musical heritage, in which the material memory of the instruments becomes a living trace of relationships, transitions, and cultural stratifications. The new artistic work we are inaugurating at the Pedrollo translates this same horizon into the public space: not simply a decorative sign, but a visual threshold through which to narrate the connection between Vicenza, Jerusalem, and the Mediterranean."