Boston Common - Niche Media - A side of Boston that's anything but common.
Issue link: http://digital.greengale.com/i/385222
MUSIC DIRECTOR, RHYTHM OF THE UNIVERSE SIMONE SCAZZOCCHIO How many international musicians does it take to write one song? That may sound like the setup for a bad joke, but it was an honest question posed to Italian conductor and composer Simone Scazzocchio four years ago by Turkish musician Emir Cerman at Berklee College of Music. Together they set about making it happen, eventually gathering 90 musicians to collaborate on a composition they premiered at Boston Symphony Hall in 2011. "They came together with the lyrics of the same song and added their individual interpretation from their different back- grounds," says Scazzocchio. Since then, he's kept up the collabora- tion as the music director of Rhythm of the Universe, a loose band of multicultural performers who come together for public and private performances that might feature, say, a Brazilian percus- sionist, a Mongolian singer, and an Australian didgeridoo virtuoso—often with spectacular results. Scazzocchio is no stranger to musical experimentation. Trained in classical piano as a child, he later toured Europe as the keyboardist in an Italian metal band. Now he works as a conductor and composer, often forging connections between different cultures in a city not always known for its multicul- tural openness. "I love entering into someone's mind and saying, How do you feel music? What is beautiful to you? And then asking, How can I shape this music to reach others?" Leadership is… "Collaboration. You can wave your arms as much as you want, but they are the ones making the music, and in a way I am working for them." Gray overcoat, Calvin Klein Collection ($2,095). mrporter.com. Jameson cardigan, Rag & Bone ($450). Neiman Marcus, Copley Place, 617-536-3660, neiman marcus.com. Army micro window print shirt, Bottega Veneta ($690). 1245 Worcester St., Natick, 508-652-9707; bottega veneta.com. Dark denim jeans, John Varvatos ($228). Copley Place, 617-236-8650; johnvarvatos.com. Epi belt, Louis Vuitton ($500). Copley Place, 617-437-6519; louisvuitton.com