Death of Anna Gastel, President of the MiTo September Music Festival

Anna Gastel, president of the International MiTo September Music Festival since 2016, died today in Milan at the age of 71. The news was announced by Rosanna Purchia, the Councillor for Culture of the City of Turin. 'Anna Gastel,' says the councillor, 'was a precious guide for the MiTo September Music Festival, capable of keeping two often competing cities like Milan and Turin united, bound by the subtle but resistant thread of great music. She did it with the class and spontaneous elegance that belonged to her, proving to be an ally as well as a precious friend for us insiders. She was heir to a Milanese heritage of yesteryear, granddaughter of Luchino Visconti who had brought her, very young, to brief appearances in front of the camera.' Remembering her, Rosanna Purchia concludes, 'I remember her as reserved, with a French pronunciation of the 'r' but with a decidedly Mediterranean passion for the things she cared about most. Turin, Milan and the MiTo Festival will feel much more alone from today. We will not disperse her legacy and we will also work for her to continue this union in the name of classical music.'