The Festival of the new voices of Castrocaro

In the history of Italian song, the Festival delle Voci Nuove di Castrocaro was one of the most important musical events for emerging artists, especially in the 1962-1971 period, when the winners of Castrocaro, by agreement with the Sanremo Festival organisers, had the right to take part in the bigger festival. Thanks to this collaboration, many of the winners or participants of Castrocaro became established at Sanremo both in the preliminary and final stages: from Gigliola Cinquetti to Annarita Spinaci, Paolo Mengoli, Alice, Fiorella Mannoia, Franco Simone, Michele Zarrillo, Luca Barbarossa, Zucchero and Fiordaliso. Once the collaboration with the Sanremo Festival was momentarily concluded, the doors of the Mostra Internazionale di Musica Leggera di Venezia opened for the winners of Castrocaro, and then returned to the City of Flowers from 1980 to 1988.

Most of the informatiom we gathered comes from the book by Michele Minisci (whom we thank) Castrocaro-Sanremo solo andata, published by Capire Edizioni (Forlì, 2020), augmented with research from the web and some Italian journalistic archives. The presentation of information on participants in the Festival di Voci Nuove di Castrocaro stops with the 1988 edition, the last edition at which the winner had the right to participate in the Sanremo Festival. In Castrocaro however, in the following years (with the exception of 1998 and 2000, when the event did not take place), singers who were later recognized nationally made their reputation, such as Lorenzo Zecchino, Bracco Di Graci, Lighea, Silvia Salemi, Riccardo Maffoni and Maria Pierantoni Giua.

From 1957 to 1961 it took the title “Primo Festival del Cantante di Musica Leggera – First Festival of Light Music Singers”

1957

TINA CASTELLI with I Believe, Rosetera

Presented by Giuliano Todeschini – Participants included: Rossella Masseglia Natali

1958

EDDA MONTANARI with S’agapò, Buona anno e buona fortuna

Presented by Enzo Tortora – Participants included: Eugenia Foligatti, Dino Sarti

1959

CARMEN VILLANI with Quando una ragazza a New Orleans, Cry Me A River

Presented by Enzo Tortora – Participants included: Eugenia Foligatti

1960s

ANGELA VENTUROLI with Granada, Gli zingari

Presented by Giorgio Cantelli

1961

ANNA MARIA RAMENGHI with Delirio, My Funny Valentine

Presented by Anna Maria Gambineri – Participants included: Donato [Umberto Bossi]

From 1962 to 1963 it took the title “Festival Nazionale per i Cantanti di Musica Leggera – National Festival for Light Music Singers”. Artistic direction by Gianni Ravera, musical direction by Virgilio Braconi. The two equally deserving winners, starting from this edition, had the right to participate in the Sanremo Festival.

1962

EUGENIA FOLIGATTI with Cercami, Ride

GIANNI LACOMMARE with Uno dei tanti, Abat-jour

Presented by Pippo Baudo – Participants included: Fabrizio Ferretti, Piero Focaccia, Iva Zanicchi

1963

BRUNO FILIPPINI with Baci, Il re dei pagliacci – Madrina: Nilla Pizzi

GIGLIOLA CINQUETTI with Sull’acqua, Le strade di notte – Patron: Giorgio Gaber

Presented by Pippo Baudo – Participants included: Paola Bertoni, Ivana Borgia, Caterina Caselli, Iskra Menarini, Roberto Rangone

From 1964, it went by the name “Concorso Nazionale per le Voci Nuove – National Competition for New Voices”

1964

FRANCO TOZZI with Due case, due finestre, Amo la mia gioventù – Patron: Domenico Modugno

VITTORIO INZAINA with Adesso no, Dimmi di sì – Madrina: Françoise Hardy

Presented by Mike Bongiorno – Participants included: Mariolino Barberis, Anna Identici, Anna Marchetti

1965

LUCIANA TURINA with Come ti vorrei

PLINIO MAGGI with Se le mie parole non bastano

Presented by Mike Bongiorno – Participants included: Silvana Aliotta, Edoardo Bennato, Patrizia Borgatti, Gidiuli, Gianna Mescoli, Gianni Pettenati, Mino Reitano, Mario Tessuto

1966

ANNARITA SPINACI with E…, Riderà

ROBERTA AMADEI with Io ho in mente te

Presented by Mike Bongiorno – Participants included: Patrizia Bonaveri, Franca Gallicani, Loretta Goggi, Marta Lami

1967

ELIO GANDOLFI with Kilimandjaro

GIUSY ROMEO [Giuni Russo] with A chi, Nel sole

Presented by Pippo Baudo – Participants included: Roberto Ferri, Alessandra Casaccia

1968

PAOLO MENGOLI with Per un momento ho perso te, Portami tante rose – Patron: Charles Aznavour

ROSALBA ARCHILLETTI with Quando sei con me, Con un ciao

Presented by Alberto Terrani – Participants included: Fiorella Mannoia, Leo Mauceri, Gaetano Vece

1969

DINO DRUSIANI with Chi si vuol bene come noi

LUCIA RIZZI with Quanto ti amo

Presented by Pippo Baudo – Participants included: Gianni D’Errico

1970

MARA NANNI with Voltami le spalle

MARISA SACCHETTO with Dopo l’amore

Presented by Daniele Piombi

1971

CARLA BISSI [ALICE] with Tanta voglia di lei

MAURO BRIGHETTI

Presented by Daniele Piombi – Participants included: Daniela Davoli

From 1972, and through all of the 1970s, the winners did not participate in the Sanremo Festival but at the Venice International Light Music Exhibition

1972

FRANCO SIMONE with Con gli occhi chiusi e i pugni stretti

ROBERTO CALLEGARO with La legge della vita

Presented by Daniele Piombi – Participants included: I Collage, Roberto Carrino

1973

EMANUELA CORTESI with La mente torna

MAILA MAZZERANGHI with Amore mio

Presented by Daniele Piombi

1974

DENISE and GLORIA CALORE – Il carro e gli zingari

LILIANA SAVOCA

Presented by Giancarlo Zanetti

1975

GRAZIA SANVITALE with Devil Gate Drive

ALDO POLI with Love Me Tender

Presented by Mike Bongiorno

1976

MARCELLO SCICHILONE with Questo amore

I COLLAGE with Due ragazzi nel sole

Presented by Vittorio Fusco – Participants included: Walter Foini, Alvaro Guglielmi

1977

MICHELE PECORA with La mia casa

I PUB with Un’anima in jeans

Presented by Barbara Marchand and Giancarlo Guardabassi

1978

EZIO MARIA PICCIOTTA with Uomo qualunque, Dio che cosa non farei ROBERTA VOLTOLINI with Noi

Presented by Vittorio Fusco – Participants included: Creme Caramel, Alberto Fortis, Bruno Laurenti

1979

MICHEL ZARRILLO with Indietro no

GORAN KUZMINAC with Stasera l’aria è fresca

Presented by Gigi Sabani – Participants included: I Limousine

In 1980 it took on the name of the Concorso Nazionale Talent Scout – National Talent Scout Competition

1980

LUCA BARBAROSSA with Sarà l’età, Roma puttana (then retitled Roma spogliata)

In 1981 it took back the name of the Concorso Nazionale delle Voci Nuove – National Competition of New Voices

1981

ZUCCHERO with Canto te

FIORDALISO with Scappa via

Presented by Gigliola Cinquetti – Participants included: Eros Ramazzotti, Stefano Sani

1982

DONATELLA MILANI with Perché mi sento sola

BRUNELLA BORCIANI with Voglio e mi spoglio

Presented by Mia Martini – Participants included: Rodolfo Santandrea

1983

SILVIA CONTI with Hey ragazzo

RODOLFO BANCHELLI with Invece no

Presented by Vittorio Fusco

1984

LORENA [later Lena ] BIOLCATI with Acquarius

LAURA LANDI with Panorama

Presented by Elisabetta Gardini and Valerio Merola

1985

AIDA SATTA FLORES with Alkaid

STUDIO HERTZ with Sarà forse in America

Presented by Maria Teresa Ruta – Participants included: Marcello Pieri

1986

CHARLEY DEANESI with Muoviti

ROBERTA MOGLIOTTI [later Andrea Mirò] with Pietra su pietra

Presented by Daniele Piombi and Gigliola Cinquetti

1987

ROSARIO DI BELLA with Sono interessante

ICE with Mere Mana

Presented by Barbara D’Urso, Amanda Lear, Tiziana Ferrario – Participants included: Stefania La Fauci, Sabina Stilo

1988

VALERIO SPAZZOLI with Rido

ANTONIETTA BUCCIGROSSI with C’è un motivo in più

Presented by Claudio Lippi and Mauro Micheloni – Participants included: Irene Fargo