Assisi hosted a Memorial Ceremony in honour of Guido Dettoni della Grazia, who passed away on 6 March 2026. It was a special occasion that brought together family, friends, colleagues and admirers from around the world to remember and pay tribute to his life, his work and the lasting legacy he leaves behind as an artist, a friend and a human being.
Silvia Orciar’s musical tribute
Voice artist, vocal coach and
creator of the Canto Integrativo® method
Photo: Mauro Berti
On the occasion of the memorial ceremony for Guido Dettoni della Grazia, held on 12 September 2026 at Santa Maria delle Rose, Silvia Orciari, voice artist, vocal coach and creator of the Canto Integrativo® method, offered an intimate and personal musical tribute to Guido and his work.
A friend and collaborator of the artist, Silvia created the vocal dimension of Guido’s multisensory work dedicated to The Canticle of the Creatures by Saint Francis of Assisi, giving voice to its eight panels, from Brother Sun to Sister Death. Through her vocal research, she helped translate the poetic and spiritual language of the Canticle into sound and vibration, weaving her voice together with the material and Guido’s artistic sensibility. It was a dialogue between art, spirituality and listening, in which the voice became an integral part of the multisensory experience, guiding the audience on a journey through the beauty and mystery of Creation.
For the ceremony, Silvia conceived a vocal journey in five movements, interweaving songs from the ancient mystical tradition, original compositions and new forms of vocal expression. Beginning with the unadorned voice and the silence of Assisi’s stones, the journey gradually opened into vibration, culminating in the first live performance of E Vibro, her new sound work created especially for the occasion.
O Dulcis Divinitas
Saint Hildegard of Bingen — performed a cappella, in Latin
“I begin this journey with Saint Hildegard of Bingen, and her O Dulcis Divinitas, which Guido loved very much, a song that once resonated among these stones and today awakens once again.”
Viriditas — World Premiere
Original composition by Silvia Orciari — performed a cappella, in Latin
“To the ancient song I have just sung, I now link a new one, which you will hear today for the very first time: Viriditas, an unpublished composition of mine that will be released on 21 December as part of a text dedicated to Hildegard.
For Saint Hildegard, Viriditas is the greening force, the divine lifeblood that moves Creation and that also guided Guido’s hands as he shaped matter.
It is this vital force, this breath that flows through matter and transforms it, that I would like to entrust to music today, as a tribute to Guido.”
Love Song — The Song of Songs
Composition by Silvia Orciari — performed a cappella, in Hebrew
“Guido’s artistic journey was a continuous dialogue with Original Love. The Song of Songs is the highest expression of love poetry in the sacred tradition. I return to sing my Love Song here in its original Hebrew words, as an offering of beauty and gratitude to him.”
Abun D’Bashmaya (Lord’s Prayer)
A prayer in the language of origins — performed a cappella, in Aramaic
“I conclude this first part with the Lord’s Prayer in Aramaic, allowing these ancient words to resonate in remembrance of Guido’s sensibility and his work.”
E Vibro — First Live Performance
New sound work by Silvia Orciari — with musical accompaniment
“We began with silence, with the unadorned voice and the memory of stone.
And it was precisely from silence that E Vibro emerged today.
This piece also grew out of the inspiration I found in reading Il cuore nascosto del Cantico (The Hidden Heart of the Canticle) by Monsignor Domenico Sorrentino, who was able to illuminate the intimate spiritual fabric of Saint Francis, a dimension that I feel is deeply intertwined with the quest Guido pursued throughout his life.
From matter to sound, from silence to vibration, what remains is beauty: the beauty Guido sought, listened to and shaped throughout his life.
And perhaps this is the most beautiful way to say goodbye to him: not with an ending, but by allowing something to continue to vibrate.
I dedicate this song to Guido, to his vision of art, to his search for the invisible within matter, and to the journey of listening we have shared together today.”
