Half a century of music, research, and dissemination of Sardinian culture. The Tenores di Neoneli celebrate their first 50 years of activity at the Tradizione e Modernità Festival 2026, taking place on Sunday, October 11th in Piazza del Lazzaretto, Cagliari, with the second of three events dedicated to the most representative expressions of the island's musical tradition. After opening with launeddas, the festival turns the spotlight, starting at 11:00 a.m., on cantu a tenore, one of the oldest and most evocative forms of Sardinian musical heritage, capable of spanning generations while maintaining its expressive power. Leading the audience on this journey will be the Tenores di Neoneli, a historic group that has brought traditional Sardinian singing to stages around the world. A fifty-year career marked by loyalty to its roots, but also by curiosity and the ability to engage with diverse musical languages.

Recounting the group's journey is Tonino Cau, founder of Tenores di Neoneli, who identifies study and experimentation as the keys to artistic longevity, built without sacrificing their identity. "Studying and experimenting over all these years has been fundamental. Being faithful to the ancient tradition doesn't mean closing the door to collaborations with musicians from outside," explains Cau, recalling their work with numerous Sardinian and international artists. For Sunday's event, the group, in collaboration with Orlando Mascia, will present a show that retraces the most significant stages of this long journey. "It will be an anthology in which the audience will be able to rediscover our artistic journey," the founder anticipates, turning the fifty-year milestone into an opportunity to recount the evolution of a tradition that continues to renew itself. The morning will be enriched by the participation of the folk group I Nuraghi di Sestu, who will bring traditional costumes and dances to the square. Singing, music, and dance will meet in an event designed to introduce audiences to the diverse expressions of Sardinian cultural identity, in a constant dialogue between past and present.

The Tradizione e Modernità Festival 2026, organized as part of Cagliari dal Vivo 2026 with the support of the Municipality of Cagliari, will continue on Sunday, October 18th, again at 11:00 a.m. in Piazza del Lazzaretto, with the third and final event of the series, dedicated to cantu a chitarra. Closing the festival will be singers Emanuele Bazzoni and Daniele Giallara, accompanied on guitar by Alessandro Carta and accordion by Alberto Caddeo. The event will be enriched by the folk groups Janas from Monastir and Campidano di Quartucciu, with their traditional costumes, instruments, and dancers. The series offers a journey through some of the most significant aspects of Sardinian music.