Forty-Five Years of the Garda Festival: Singing Contest Highlights
Forty-five years for the Festival del Garda. The remarkable number of evenings held by the traveling event led by Andrea Vantini has been reached, after six editions, on the prominent Brescia lake.
A special night with enthusiasm soaring high at Lungolago Marconi, crowded with people. The talent of the competing singers, the magic of Nando De Bortoli’s dance troupe, the monologues of Rovereto’s cabaret artist Lucio Gardin, Elena Taverinini’s voice (winner of the last Cantalago edition in Limone), and the statuesque beauty of hostess Susanna Huckstep offered a fresh, lively show full of emotions.
Singing Competition and Finalists
Adding to this was the overwhelming performance of Jerry Calà, guest of honor and president of the singing contest jury. This music event crowned as the last finalist in the interpreter category the seventeen-year-old from Brescia, Siria Sbardolini (“Riguarda noi” by Giorgia), who won with a commanding lead over Roverbella-born but Verona-adopted Luca Stella (“L’emozione non ha voce” by Celentano), Simona Tedeschi from Verona (“E poi” by Giorgia), and the Austrian Michael Buchacher (“Teddy bear” by Elvis Presley).
For the first time in the history of Cantalago, a gap of eleven points was recorded between the top two positions. A sign, mind you, not of a lack of value among the competitors—they all qualified successfully and were truly talented, especially Stella—but of an extraordinary capacity of the young Sbardolini, one of the top contenders for the final victory of the Festival scheduled for next Monday in Piazza III Novembre in Riva del Garda.
Competition for Original Songs and Other Performances
This Trentino challenge marks the unprecedented absence of Verona-based performers in the cover song section. The story was different in the original song competition, which saw a Sardinian fight between Paolo Ongarelli from Pescantina and the twin sisters from Buttapietra, Barbara and Stefania Marogna (“In the search for a mate”). The twenty-three-year-old sisters, both workers, easily surpassed Stefano Peli from Concesio (“Se ci sei tu”) in Limone.
Apart from the singing contest, the event that characterized the Gardesan summer tour featured the performance of Riccardo Ambrosi, a baritone already starring in Aida by Zeffirelli, staged in Busseto and at the Piccolo Teatro di Milano. The Triestine artist did not fail to warm up the audience with the classic “O sole mio”.
Trivia and Finalists
Among the curiosities of the Festival is the return to the stage of Michele, a versatile valletto working alongside Susanna Huckstep, who was really in great shape.
These are the finalists from Riva del Garda: in the interpreter section: Antonella Bacchini, 24 years old from Brescia; Morena Lusenti, 15 years old from Manerba; Siria Sbardolini, 17 from Brescia; Claudia Zamparelli, 15 years old from Bologna.
In the original song section: Linda Ongarelli, 17 years old from Pescantina; Barbara and Stefania Marogna, 23-year-old twins from Buttapietra.
