On Thursday, 8 October 2026, the Sala Magna of Palazzo Chiaromonte-Steri in Palermo will host the official presentation of the research project VOICING Spaces: Towards an Aural Architecture in the Past (Advanced Grant FIS-02749), funded by the Italian Science Fund (FIS) and the Ministry of University and Research (MUR).
How did voices, music, and rituals interact with ancient architecture? How did the surrounding landscape shape the sonic experience of a space? Combining archaeology, acoustics, musical and dance performance, and digital immersive technologies, the conference explores an essential dimension of ancient material and immaterial culture: sound.
- Date: Thursday, 8 October 2026
- Time: 09:00 – 19:30
- Location: Sala Magna, Palazzo Steri – Rectorate of the University of Palermo (Piazza Marina, 61 – Palermo)
Programme
09:00 – 09:30 | Welcome and Registration
09:30 – 10:00 | Institutional Greetings
Massimo Midiri, Rector of the University of Palermo
Delia Chillura Martino, Vice-Rector for Research (tbc)
Stefana Milioto, Vice-Rector for Quality Assurance, Development and Relations with Departments
Valentina Favarò, Director of the Department of Cultures and Societies
10:00 – 10:10 | Opening Remarks
Angela Bellia, Principal Investigator of the VOICING Project
10:10 – 10:30 | The VOICING Doctoral Research Scholarships
Nicola Cusumano, Coordinator of the PhD Programme in Classical Studies for Contemporaneity
Gianfranco Marrone, Coordinator of the PhD Programme in Semiotics: Studies on Text, Discourse, Media, and Culture
The VOICING Research Team
10:30 – 11:30 | Session 1: Soundscapes, Materiality, and Ritual Practices
Chair: Ignazio Buttitta, Professor of Cultural Anthropology and Rector’s Delegate for Cultural Activities (University of Palermo)
10:35 – 10:50 Erica Angliker, Sacred Soundscapes in the Sanctuaries of Apollo: Nature, Geophonies, Biophonies, Anthrophonies, and Ritual Experience
10:55 – 11:10 Marianna Castiglione, Towards an Archaeology of Ancient Soundscapes: Materiality, Space, and Sonic Experience
11:15 – 11:30 Mario Resta, Performances of Possession: Rituals and Choreutic-Musical Practices in Antiquity and Late Antiquity
11:35 – 12:35 | Session 2: Archaeoacoustics, Acoustic Methodologies, and Virtual Archaeology
Chair: Lamberto Tronchin, Professor of Environmental Applied Physics (University of Bologna) and General Chair for the I3DA, International Conferences on Immersive and 3D Audio
11:40 – 11:55 Zorana Đorđević, Listening to the Past: Archaeoacoustics and GIS as Tools for Reconstructing Ancient Aural Architecture
12:00 – 12:15 Antonella Bevilacqua, Acoustic Methodologies Applied to Heritage Buildings
12:20 – 12:35 Laura Schepis, Building to Be Heard, Rebuilding to Be Seen: A Virtual Archaeology Approach for 3D Modelling, Acoustic Simulation, and XR/VR Platforms in Ancient Theatres
12:40 – 13:30 | The VOICING Scientific Support Team
12:45 – 12:50 Nicholas Sciortino, Software Engineer, AI Expert, and IT Support Specialist
12:55 – 13:00 Alessandra Tranchina, Graphic Designer
13:05 – 13:10 Andrea Rapisarda, Press Officer
13:15 – 13:20 Elisa Sanzeri, Science Communication and Dissemination Activities
13:25 – 13:30 Martina Raimondi, Videomaker
13:30 – 15:30 | Welcome Reception
15:30 – 17:10 | Session 3: Research Excellence: Music, Sound, and Applied Technologies in Competitive Projects
Chair: Sergio Bonanzinga, Professor of Ethnomusicology and Coordinator of the Interclass Council for the Arts, Music and Performing Arts (DAMS) and the Musicology and Performing Arts (MUSP) Degree Programmes
15:35 – 15:50 Angela Bellia, Principal Investigator of the FIS VOICING Project (University of Palermo), The Impact of ERC, FIS, and MSCA Programmes on European Music and Sound Studies
15:55 – 16:10 Francesco Zimei, Principal Investigator of the ERC Laudare Project (University of Trento), Restoring the Lost Symbiosis of Music and Poetry in Late Medieval Italy
16:15 – 16:30 Massimiliano Guido, Principal Investigator of the ERC REM@KE Project (University of Pavia), Dynamic Organology for Aural Architecture: REM@KE Meets Voicing
16:35 – 16:50 Lamberto Tronchin, Principal Investigator of the SIPARIO Project (University of Bologna), The SIPARIO and AGORÁ Projects: Safeguarding Immersive and 3D Audio in Northern Italy
16:55 – 17:10 Michele Ducceschi, Principal Investigator of the ERC NEMUS Project (University of Bologna), Sounding the Silent: Five Years of the NEMUS Project
17:15 – 18:00 | The VOICING Artistic and Performance Team and Musical Performance
Rosa Fragorapti, lyra
Callum Armstrong, aulos
Aurelio D’Amore, voice
18:00 – 18:30 | Final Discussion and Closing Remarks
18:30 – 19:30 | Closing Reception
