Xenos. Performance Festival

The Antico Ospedale Santa Maria della Scala Foundation presents the second edition of XENOS, an international festival dedicated to contemporary performance, conceived by Cristiano Leone and with artistic direction by Anna Lea Antolini.
For four days the museum complex transforms into a widespread stage: site-specific performances in dialogue with the museum’s frescoes and architectures will alternate with itinerant interventions, crossing spaces and gazes, celebrating the boundary between visible and invisible.
An edition reflecting on the gaze as a revealing act, paying homage to the 40th anniversary of Italo Calvino's passing, hosting major figures of the artistic scene.
Among the most renowned names are the violinist Yury Revich, Alice Mariani, principal dancer at Teatro alla Scala in Milan, Marta Ciappina Ubu Award 2023 for best performer, Virgilio Sieni undisputed master of contemporary dance, the KOR'SIA collective formed by Antonio de Rosa and Mattia Russo, international performers and choreographers Arno Schuitemaker and Noé Soulier, and the choristers of the Cattedrale di Siena “Guido Chigi Saracini” Choir conducted by Maestro Lorenzo Donati, with the special participation of Jacopo Veneziani, art historian and popularizer, among many others.

Throughout the festival, virtual reality will also take center stage with The gaze in virtual reality through the digital performance WAVE by Bart Hess and the short film HALF LIFE VR by Robert Connor.

Xenos is organized in collaboration with the Municipality of Siena and with the financial support of SI.GE.RI.CO., while the executive production is entrusted to Impersive; with the contribution of the Embassy and Consulate General of the Kingdom of the Netherlands; supported by Immagine studio.

The artists
Chigiana Musical Academy, Simone Arcagni, Stefania Ballone, Marta Ciappina, Alessandra Cristiani, Robert Connor/Sharon Eyal & Gai Behar, Virgilio Sieni Company, Delfina Stella, Jacopo Giarda, Riccardo Giovinetto, Bart Hess & Sedrig Dimitri Verwoert, Kor’sia, Giacomo Luci, LU.PA, Alice Mariani, Domenico Prattichizzo, Yury Revich, Arno Schuitemaker, Siena Jazz – National Jazz Academy, Noé Soulier and Jacopo Veneziani.