Stefano Saletti
Get your tickets in advance
budapest
bábel kertem
2.-6. 06. 2026.
balatonboglár
bábel camp
2.-6. 06. 2026.
| Stefano Saletti is a musician, composer, and producer who plays traditional Mediterranean instruments such as the bouzouki, oud, saz baglama, and lauta, in addition to electric, acoustic, and classical guitar, piano, and percussion. A long-time figure in the Italian music scene and founder of Novalia, since 2005 he has been the leader of Banda Ikona, a group that sings in Sabir, the ancient lingua franca of the Mediterranean. His latest album released under his own name, “Mediterranima” (2025 – Materiali Sonori), like his previous works, has received major recognition in Italy and abroad. It reached No. 4 on the World Music Charts Europe, was shortlisted among the five finalists for the 2025 Targhe Tenco in the “Dialects and Minority Languages” category, and remained in the Transglobal World Music Charts and WMCE for three months. With Banda Ikona, he has toured major international world music festivals and released five albums. “Mediterraneo Ostinato” (2021), like his previous works, received widespread acclaim in Italy and abroad, reaching No. 2 on the World Music Charts Europe, making the final shortlist for the Targhe Tenco in the “dialects and minority languages” category, and ranking No. 11 in the global top world music albums of 2021. Over the years, he has collaborated on various projects, including Cafè Loti, Persephone, Caracas, and Oriental Night Fever with Hector Zazou and Barbara Eramo. He has also led various international ensembles, including the 7 Sóis Orkestra (2008), Les Voix du 7 Sois (2010), the Med Arab Jewish 7Sóis Orkestra (2019), and the Med Luso Esch 7 Sóis Orkestra (2022), bringing together musicians from different countries. He has conducted studies and research and written articles on folk music, 20th-century musical avant-gardes, and the intersections between Mediterranean and global traditional music. Since 2015, he has been the director of the Festival Popolare Italiano, which has featured some of the most important Italian traditional, folk, and world music artists. Saletti has composed film and theater soundtracks, collaborating with renowned artists such as Pupi Avati, Giorgio Albertazzi, Massimo Popolizio, Giancarlo Giannini, Predrag Matvejević, Pamela Villoresi, Omero Antonutti, Manuela Mandracchia, Lisa Natoli, Piero Maccarinelli, Maurizio Panici, and Ondadurtoteatro. He is the composer of the song “Ebla” the theme tune for the international tv program “Mediterraneo”. He also composed a suite in five movements based on “Le bateau Ivre” by Arthur Rimbaud, read by Jean-Louis Trintignant and he also wrote music performed with the Tunisian poet Monchef Ghachem. A deep connoisseur of Mediterranean musical traditions, Saletti has conducted artistic residencies, masterclasses, and workshops in Italy and abroad. He teaches specialized courses on bouzouki and oud performance techniques and leads workshops exploring the affinities and differences in vocal and musical styles across Mediterranean countries, focusing on influences, cross-cultural exchanges, and distinctive traditions |
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| Stefano Saletti (vocals, bouzouki, oud, guitars), Gabriella Aiello (vocals), Gabriele Coen (clarinet and sax), Mario Rivera (double bass, acoustic bass), Eugenio Saletti (vocals, guitar, bouzouki, saltzouki), Giovanni Lo Cascio (drums, percussion). |
DISCOGRAPHY
Stefano Saletti:
Stefano Saletti „Mediterranima” 2025
Luigi Cinque, Stefano Saletti, Urna Chahar-Tugchi „Persephone” 2023
Stefano Saletti & Banda Ikona „Mediterraneo Ostinato” 2021
Cafè Loti – Citarella, Saletti, Tadayon „In taberna” 2019
Stefano Saletti & Valerio Corzani „Ghost Tracks” 2017
Stefano Saletti & Banda Ikona „Soundcity” 2016
Cafè Loti – Citarella, Saletti, Tadayon „Cafè Loti” 2015
Stefano Saletti „In Search of Homerus” 2015
Stefano Saletti & Valerio Corzani „Caracas” 2015
Stefano Saletti & Piccola Banda Ikona „Folkpolitik” 2012
ZAZOU/ERAMO/SALETTI „Oriental Night Fever” 2010
7 Sois Orkestra „A Night in Sicily” 2008
Piccola Banda Ikona „Marea cu sarea” 2008
Stefano Saletti – Piccola Banda Ikona „Stari Most” 2005
Stefano Saletti – Renato Giordano „Le vespe” 2003
Novalia:
10… anni in una notte 2000
Arkeo 1999
Canti e Briganti 1997
Griot 1995
Sabir 1990
L’Australiano 1988
Corteo 1986