In a milestone for Paraguayan music, musicians Stefano Pavetti Serratti and Derlis González Morel represented Paraguay in a historic concert at the Pontifical Institute of Sacred Music in the Vatican, held on May 6 at the Church of Sant'Apollinare in Rome. The performance, which featured the interpretation of Giovanni Battista Pergolesi's Stabat Mater in its Viennese version for soloists, choir, orchestra, and continuo, was described by the protagonists as "historic."
Pavetti, who is pursuing a postgraduate degree in Choral Conducting at the institute, and González, a tenor from Caacupé and a singing student, are the only Paraguayans currently enrolled in advanced academic music studies at the institution. González is also a member of the Choir of the Sistine Papal Chapel. The concert also featured soprano Maria Grazia Schiavo, mezzo-soprano Marta Pacifici, and baritone Kevin Malcolm Cribb, along with the Nova Resonantia Orchestra and the institute's Polyphonic Choir, under the general direction of Walter Marzilli.
The event was attended by Paraguayan Ambassador Romina Taboada, Minister Mirko Soto, and the president of the Paraguay Italy Association, María Teresa Benítez Florentín. "This concert was truly historic. It is a very important space that we Paraguayans are gaining," said Pavetti. The musician, who is visually impaired and a reference in music and disability for South America by the Milan Conservatory, highlighted his goal of contributing to choral training in Paraguay and supporting artists with disabilities. "The idea is to open the Choral Conducting career in Paraguay so that our musicians no longer need to emigrate and can be trained at the highest level in the country," he stated.