The North American Virtual Recorder Society (NAVRS) presents Valentina Bellanova for Bella Italia: Echoes of Folk Traditions in Medieval and Renaissance Consort Saturday, June 20 at 2:00PM, ET. Valentina will lead the NAVRS monthly Playing Meeting in an exploration of a selection of Italian consort repertoire from the Medieval and Renaissance periods. The program will include dances and songs such as Non posso far bucato, Schiarazula Marazula, and other pieces connected to Italy’s rich musical traditions. Through these pieces, we will look at how elements of folk music appear in this repertoire, paying attention to phrasing, modal color, and rhythm.
Valentina Bellanova is an Italian recorder player, neyzen, and teacher based in Berlin. She studied recorder and musicology in Florence and continued her studies in Germany where she obtained her Soloist’s Diploma at the University of Music, Drama and Media in Hannover. She also holds a Master’s degree in Medieval Music from the Folkwang University of the Arts in Essen.
Her work has been grounded on medieval and Renaissance repertoire, as well as a thorough engagement with Mediterranean and Middle Eastern modal traditions. As a ney player (in both Turkish and Arabic traditions), she offers an original view on the recorder regarding ornamentation, microtonality, and improvisation. (photo credit: Agnes Fox)
The North American Virtual Recorder Society (NAVRS) is an online community of recorder players. Celebrating its fifth anniversary in 2026, NAVRS’s 300 members come from North America, Europe, and Asia. The annual membership fee is $20 a year and Playing Meetings are $15 per session. Interested and curious players can attend the first Playing Meeting for free. Skill-building workshops are a member benefit and available for $20 each. There is an active Facebook group and members receive playback recordings of all purchased sessions that they can replay on-demand for four weeks or at their convenience for sessions they can’t attend. For more information, visit the website at navrs.org.
