In an extraordinary fusion of music and social transformation, reclaimed wood from migrant boats has been crafted into professional orchestral instruments for a groundbreaking performance at Italy’s largest correctional facility. The Opera prison in Milan hosted a remarkable concert on Saturday featuring the Cherubini Youth Orchestra under the baton of world-renowned conductor Riccardo Muti.
The instruments—violins, violas, and cellos—retain visible traces of their poignant origins through faded blue, green, and yellow paint from vessels that once carried migrants across the treacherous Mediterranean route. These boats, seized after reaching Italian shores, contained haunting remnants of passengers’ belongings and symbolized the perilous journey that has claimed tens of thousands of lives since 2014 according to UN estimates.
This initiative forms part of the ‘Metamorphosis’ project, which embodies multiple layers of transformation: decaying wood becomes exquisite musical instruments, incarcerated individuals develop skilled craftsmanship, and the overarching philosophy emphasizes rehabilitation through creative redemption. The performance featured works by Italian masters Antonio Vivaldi and Giuseppe Verdi, with a particularly moving rendition of ‘Va’ Pensiero’ (The Chorus of the Hebrew Slaves) from Verdi’s ‘Nabucco’ performed in collaboration with singers from Milan’s San Vittore prison.
Maestro Muti expressed profound emotional impact following the performance, noting that witnessing inmates finding serenity and harmony through music enriched him both as a musician and as a human being. The Opera facility houses over 1,400 inmates, including 101 mafia members under strict isolation protocols, making this musical initiative particularly significant for rehabilitation efforts.