By Annamaria Carobella

The “Art that generates. Backstage with Gen Verde” course. From the discovery of the artistic work to the harvest of fruits.

At 20:30 on the 18^th of September, the formation course promoted by the New City and conducted by the International Complex Gen Verde, who lives in Loppiano – Incisa Valdarno (Florence), began online. It is an all-women band currently formed by 19 artists from 14 different countries.

Born in 1966, in more than 50 years of activity, the band has published 70 albums in 9 languages and has given life to artistic productions, concerts, and musicals without leaving out the educational and training activities aimed at the youth through workshops and specific courses.

We found ourselves in 46 participants for the first lesson that was about “Creative work.” There’s curiosity, emotion, and anticipation for this opportunity to reflect on the role of the artist and creativity, an atmosphere of great liberty where everyone can express the best of themselves. Nancy from the United States, Colomba from Korea, and Jamaica from Brazil have conducted us in their world.

The artist has a very arduous task: listening to the inspiration that’s born in a magical moment. An artist must be able to dream and to look in depth, to give his soul to donate real and lovely things that touch the heart and express joy and hope.

We went on the Gen Verde Tour to understand how the songs and melody are born through their creative process.

• Preparation: brainstorming of the ideas, listening, finding an accord within the group
• Collection of observations, images, emotions, key phrases and musical ideas
• Narrating of a story through music: to ask ourselves who we want to reach and what we want to express.
• Listen to oneself, reflect, collect one’s interior self, then confront the ideas with the others because diversity is a gift.
• Writing: to write whatever passes in mind, find the bait, that is, a phrase, a word that sticks.

Rhythm, words, and music must meet. One can feel pain, a sense of failure, when the idea is not approved by the group. One understands that saying less can result in stronger results in an endless game of giving and receiving. If each one of us is open, creativity is not trampled upon. You must be able to see yourself as new!

• Realization: the melody is ready; the song can be written. It will then be interpreted and listened to; the arrangement is like a final robe.

We were really touched by how much we received and donated as, when we returned from the tour during which we entered their environment, we listened to some songs and concert pieces, a space in which expressing impressions, asking questions via chat and in person, and expressing immense gratitude was born.

This first lesson, some day later, bore this fruit for a participant who wrote us:

Dear Gen Verde,

I have 15 children ranging from the ages of 10 to 15 years in a small choir that animates the children’s mass, to which many other people participate. As we also sing songs written by you, during Saturday’s practice, I passed them what I learnt in your first lesson. They listened to me quite surprised and interested. The important points were:

1) Working as a team, listening to each other, and not wasting time.

2) The rehearsal of the songs should be a beautiful time because we need to help the assembly pray better and have joy.

3) The hidden score of singing is the liturgy, so a sacred thing.

I can assure you that we had a beautiful time, and we loved each other. In the Mass on September 22, we sang with incredible solemnity and joy. So many people thanked us and, even the priest, offered us ice cream!

May I conclude with the words of Marc Chagall: “In our lives there is only one color that gives meaning to art and to life itself. The color of love!”

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