The Soul of Christmas in Oppido Mamertina, 28 December 2026: a gospel and soul concert

Teatro Comunale di Oppido Mamertina · Oppido Mamertina, Costa Viola, Calabria

28 December 2026

On Monday 28 December 2026 at 6:30 pm the Teatro Comunale of Oppido Mamertina, on Via Cavour, hosts «The Soul of Christmas», the Christmas concert that closes Synergia 51, the season of the Amici della Musica «Nicola Antonio Manfroce» association of Palmi with AMA Calabria. On stage are Mario Donatone & Bluesman Latino in a «vocal set» line-up, with Brazilian singer Claudia Marss as special guest, for a journey through the history of gospel and soul, its voices and rhythms and African-American music, with dance completing the show. Tickets cost €5, or €15 including the return shuttle from Palmi; buy them on diyticket.it or on 060406, or book via WhatsApp on +39 379 154 4782.

The show: gospel and soul, Monday 28 December at 6:30 pm

«The Soul of Christmas» takes the stage on Monday 28 December 2026 at 6:30 pm at the Teatro Comunale of Oppido Mamertina, on Via Cavour. It is the only show of the season not held on a Saturday, and it falls in the days between Christmas and New Year. According to the AMA Calabria listing on the regional portal Calabria Straordinaria, the concert traces the history of gospel and soul, putting the power of the voices, the rhythm and the sound of some of the best-known pages of African-American music at its centre.

The same listing speaks of music and dance conveying the spirit of Christmas, with energy and audience participation. The Amici della Musica programme announces Mario Donatone & Bluesman Latino in a «vocal set» line-up, with Claudia Marss as special guest. The set list has not been published.

Mario Donatone, Bluesman Latino and Claudia Marss

Mario Donatone, pianist and singer, has been active in blues and soul since the 1980s and has toured Italy and Europe with African-American blues and gospel musicians; he has played festivals such as Umbria Jazz Winter, Pistoia Blues and Porretta Soul. Bluesman Latino, formed in 2022, is now his main project: it blends blues and soul with Mediterranean and Latin sounds and is built around four voices, two male and two female. Its album «Futura Umanità», recorded between Havana and Rome, came out in January 2026.

Claudia Marss is a Brazilian singer and composer who trained in Salvador da Bahia before moving to Italy. In 1986 she won the Troféu Caymmi as best new performer, in 1988 she sang backing vocals for Gilberto Gil, and in 2004 she was a soloist in Nicola Piovani's «Stabat Mater – La Pietà». Since the mid-1990s she has sung gospel, including as soloist with the Rev. Nehemiah Brown's Gospel Tree.

From gospel to soul: African-American music and Christmas

Gospel grew out of the spirituals sung by enslaved African Americans in the 18th and 19th centuries and took its modern shape in Chicago with Thomas A. Dorsey, known as the father of gospel, who combined blues melodies and harmonies, ragtime rhythms and religious lyrics. At first many churches rejected it precisely because of that kinship with secular music; then Mahalia Jackson took gospel out of the churches to a wide audience, and Dorsey's «Precious Lord, Take My Hand» became a standard.

Soul came from the opposite journey: Ray Charles rewrote church melodies as secular songs such as «I Got a Woman», and the gospel voice entered popular music. That is where the link with Christmas lies: gospel is church music and festive music at once, and soul inherited its voices and choirs. A Christmas concert in this style brings the two paths together.

The evening that closes Synergia 51

«The Soul of Christmas» closes Synergia 51, the season in which the Amici della Musica «Nicola Antonio Manfroce» association of Palmi, together with AMA Calabria, the A.I.D.A. project and the Municipality of Oppido Mamertina, has brought seven shows to Oppido since 24 October. The move was caused by Palmi's municipal Teatro «N. A. Manfroce», where part of the false ceiling gave way on 1 February 2026; the organisers' motto is «Theatre in Palmi doesn't stop, it just moves a little».

After flamenco, jazz, song, tango, guitars and piano, the last evening belongs to the voices. The whole calendar is on the page of the Synergia 51 season in Oppido Mamertina; nine days earlier, on Saturday 19 December, comes the Roberto Cappello piano recital with Schubert and Chopin.

Tickets, bookings and the shuttle from Palmi

For the closing night a ticket again costs €5, or €15 including the return transfer from Palmi. The season pass on the price list (€25, or €50 with transfer) covers all seven evenings of the season, the first of which was on 24 October. Tickets are sold online on diyticket.it or on 060406, by credit card or through the Money circuit.

To book, use WhatsApp only, on +39 379 154 4782, or email prenotazioni@amicimusicapalmi.it; for the Carta del docente attach a copy of the request they submitted. Requests are handled every day by 8 pm and seats are assigned only after payment, by bank transfer or in cash at the box office on the evening of the show. The shuttle's departure point and time in Palmi are not published: ask on the same number.

Oppido, gateway to the Aspromonte: Zervò, Zillastro and the Mamerto park

Oppido Mamertina lies at the north-western foot of the Aspromonte, and its territory climbs from the Gioia Tauro plain to the peaks: about 35% of it lies inside the Aspromonte National Park, and the whole municipality, with Santa Cristina d'Aspromonte and Scido, makes up the Parco Antropico del Mamerto. Up high are the Piani di Zervò, with the church of Afanto, and the Piani di Zillastro, where every first Sunday of September a ceremony recalls the battle of 8 September 1943 between Italian paratroopers and Anglo-Canadian troops. Below a thousand metres holm oak and oak prevail; higher up, beech, Calabrian pine and silver fir.

For the Christmas evening, visitors coming from Palmi can use the season shuttle: the return transfer is included in the €15 ticket, with departure point and times available on +39 379 154 4782.

Frequently asked questions

When is The Soul of Christmas in Oppido Mamertina?

On Monday 28 December 2026 at 6:30 pm.

Where is the Christmas concert held?

At the Teatro Comunale of Oppido Mamertina, on Via Cavour, 89014 Oppido Mamertina (RC).

Who is singing?

Mario Donatone & Bluesman Latino in a «vocal set» line-up, with Brazilian singer Claudia Marss as special guest.

What kind of music is it?

A journey through the history of gospel, soul and African-American music, with dance completing the show. The set list has not been published.

Is it the last show of the season?

Yes, it closes Synergia 51, the Palmi Amici della Musica season in Oppido Mamertina that began on 24 October 2026.

How much is a ticket?

€5, or €15 including the return transfer from Palmi.

How do I buy or book tickets?

Online on diyticket.it or on 060406, or by booking via WhatsApp on +39 379 154 4782 or at prenotazioni@amicimusicapalmi.it and paying by bank transfer or in cash at the box office.

Is there a shuttle from Palmi?

Yes, the return transfer is included in the €15 ticket. Ask for the departure point and time on +39 379 154 4782.

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