Isole Sonore, the New Year Kicks Off with Francesca Badalini and Her Piano Movie
Piano Movie is the title of the concert by pianist Francesca Badalini for Isole Sonore, kicking off the 2026 season.
On Wednesday, January 15, beginning at 9 p.m. in the Aula Magna in Via Roentgen 1, Badalini pays tribute to the art of music in silent films. The piano is the ideal companion to images, and to celebrate this tradition, the pianist performs the soundtrack to a special documentary selected within the outstanding archives of Cineteca Milano: “Dall'Italia all'Ecuador” (From Italy to Ecuador) (1924).
This concert, in collaboration with Cineteca Milano, is part of the Bocconi Isole Sonore music festival, now in its 10th edition, dedicated to the artistic exploration of the piano in all its expressions, organized in collaboration with Yamaha and directed by Cesare Picco.
With Isole Sonore, Bocconi confirms its commitment to building bridges between education, research and culture, offering spaces and opportunities where music becomes a universal language of dialogue and inspiration," says Silvia Tracchi, Director of Corporate Marketing & Communication at Bocconi University. “Opening the doors of the University to a wide and diverse audience means reaffirming that knowledge—in all its forms—is a shared asset, to be experienced and nurtured together.”
With degrees in piano, composition, and classical literature, Francesca Badalini teaches piano and composition at the International Music School of Milan and improvisation and composition techniques for silent films at Milan’s Civica Scuola di Musica C. Abbado. She has composed music for theater and cinema, musicals, audiobooks, and DVDs of restored silent films. Since 1999, she has been collaborating with the Cineteca Italiana, composing, improvising, and performing live music for silent films throughout Italy and at major European festivals.
The complete program is available on the website Isole Sonore - Cesare Picco “The Köln Concert Variations” - Bocconi University. Free admission (registration on the Festival page on the University website)