Please find here below some very important news involving actually all the cultural world in Italy, but above all the sector of performing arts and music in particular. "Gisella Belgeri announces that Italiafestival, member of the 'Associazione Italiana dello Spettacolo', participates in and promotes the mobilization 'Teatri Aperti' (Open Theatres) on February 20 and 21 in Rome. The principal initiatives of the mobilization are: - All musical associations will organize a sign-in in order to subscribe the appeal of the world of performing arts to the Italian political world; - In the week preceding February 20 awareness campaign to sensitize the audience and local mass media; - Open Theatres: 100 cities for culture; sensitize theatres, orchestras, associations, festivals, conservatoires and schools awareness of the issue with the collaboration of municipalities and local political authorities; the protagonists of the world of Performing Arts (music, theatre, dance, cinema) in Italy will provide all cities with the opportunity of listening to music, attend performances, meet artists and cultural managers, discuss about the need of creativity for young people and listening education. - Monday 21, Rome will be the centre of a wide agitation where the whole world of performing arts will gather for a public demonstration to be followed by an open air concert at the Pantheon where also Santa Cecilia orchestra will be present. In the same day all documents concerning the mobilization edited by the different categories of the performing arts will be collected and diffused ; - Procession to Palazzo Chigi and to the Senate, where a delegation will be received by the highest political institutions. The main reasons underlying this massive mobilization are: - Public funding to the world of Performing Arts (FUS, Fondo Unico dello Spettacolo) is cut yearly; in two years 30% has been cut off and in 2005 a new cut has already been announced; this has partially caused a destabilization of the Italian musical life and an inestimable loss of artistic values and cultural heritage; - Public funds are contributed to cultural associations on average more than two years late; furthermore, the fiscal system is utterly complicated and the tax burden above all on artists¹ activities has become unbearable; - The 82 Conservatoires have lost the original task of educating young musicians to the professional world: there aren¹t any more enough orchestras or musical associations to meet the demand of new positions. - The space dedicated by the mass media to the cultural world is inadequate and insufficient; music and performing arts are seen as consumer goods instead of artistic values to be protected and supported."