Artistic and musical performances at the Dies Academicus with Fabio Pusterla and Terry Blue

The 30th Dies Academicus of Università della Svizzera italiana was heightened by a deeply moving series of artistic and musical performances, as Fabio Pusterla and Terry Blue engaged in a creative dialogue between poetry and music.

Fabio Pusterla, a poet, translator, and Adjunct Professor of Italian Literature at USI, is one of the most authoritative voices on the contemporary Swiss literary scene. Author of numerous poetry collections—including Le terre emerse, Da qualche parte nello spazio, and the recent Fiumi nefrite vortici (2025) and La splendeur (2026)—he balances his academic career with a constant commitment to the cultural and scientific landscape.

Alongside him, Terry Blue (Leo Pusterla), a musician and producer active in indie-folk and alternative pop, brought to the stage a soundscape that weaves together diverse influences, from folk and jazz to electro-pop. His recent works include Only To Be There (2019), Chronicles of a Decline (2023), and Lakewoods (2025), which have seen him perform at major festivals and on international tours across Europe.

Father and son have created a shared artistic journey where word and sound meet to give form to a dialogue between generations and languages. The performances alternated between electronic soundscapes and readings, interspersed with excerpts from a speech by Umberto Eco delivered on the 25th anniversary of the Magna Charta Universitatum.

To underscore the significance of this reflection, USI chose to offer the full version of the speech—produced with the agreement of Eco's heirs—within the commemorative 30th Dies Academicus gift bag, distributed to the audience as a unique commemorative piece.