Our story
Pop-rock band from Italian-speaking Switzerland, founded in 2021 in Lugano, Ticino. Five members, Orio Oliveri (guitars, backing vocals), Maurizio Podda (lead vocals), Guido Lazzaroni (drums), Christopher Cornacchini (bass) and Pietro Pavanelli (guitars), combining original songs in Italian with a repertoire of Italian and international covers with personal arrangements. Winners of the Best Original Song Award at Ticino Bands Live Contest 2025.
We released the album "Tutti umani tutti uguali" (2024, 10 tracks) with singles "Non basterà la pioggia", "Superpoteri" and "Coriandoli", the latter chosen as the soundtrack of an independent film shot in Ticino. Our second album BEVI. DIMENTICA. OBBEDISCI. came out on 14 August 2026, anticipated by the singles "Parlami d'amore", "Vita", "Il fiume dell'oblio" and "Arturo". Featured and interviewed by Red Ronnie, RSI Rete Tre, RSI Rete Uno, Radio Ticino, Radio3i, Tio.ch and many industry outlets. We perform across Ticino and Lombardy, from Lugano and Bellinzona to Locarno and Milan, at events, parties and festivals.
Our project has a clear cultural mission: to bring Italian pop songwriting to Ticino and champion original music in Italian in a scene often dominated by English and rock. Our sound blends pop-rock immediacy with acoustic and folk roots, drawing on the Italian singer-songwriter tradition. Our lyrics address today's world, digital overload, human relationships, social hypocrisy. We have performed at Hard Rock Cafe Milan, La Rotonda Locarno, on RSI Rete Tre (Local Heroes), RSI Rete Uno and at Tiny Kitchen Sessions, and were interviewed by Red Ronnie.
Do you know what rockism is?
In the international music debate there is a precise term: rockism. It refers to a cultural view according to which rock (and its derivatives such as blues and related genres) is considered inherently more authentic, deep or “artistic”, while pop is often dismissed as commercial, lightweight or lacking value.
ALMA Acoustic aims to bring value to pop music and songwriting, by promoting and safeguarding the Italian language in the Canton of Ticino.
Are pop music and the Italian language disappearing?
In the musical landscape of Italian-speaking Switzerland, a single narrative often dominates: rock, blues, covers and the English language.
ALMA Acoustic was born to broaden this horizon, enhancing original pop music in Italian as a living, current and necessary cultural form.
ALMA Acoustic is not against rock, blues or any other genre.
It exists in support of something that today risks disappearing from the local musical debate.
Pop has a deep cultural value because:
- it is accessible, and therefore truly inclusive
- it tells the present, everyday language and contemporary emotions
- it creates collective identity, not elitism
- it is a powerful tool of cultural storytelling, especially when it is original
Historically, pop has given a voice to entire generations, conveyed social change and built national musical heritages. It is not a minor genre: it is a language.
The Italian language: a cultural responsibility
Switzerland is a multilingual country, but Italian speakers are often placed in the background.
The Canton of Ticino officially acknowledges the need to safeguard and promote the Italian language and culture: it is not just a right, it is an institutional objective.
Yet, in music:
- English dominates even where it is not necessary
- original projects in Italian are rare
- those who write in Italian are often perceived as “less international”
ALMA Acoustic consciously chooses to write and sing in Italian, because language is an integral part of cultural identity. Valuing it means making Ticino recognizable, not marginal.
We want to contribute to a more plural Ticinese music scene, where pop, rock, blues, jazz and every other language can coexist without implicit hierarchies.
Music is not just entertainment: it is cultural policy, identity, future.
Traguardi
scorri →Teatro Chiasso
Milan
Rome
RSI Rete Tre
Radio3i
Foce Lugano
RSI Rete Uno
Musica Da Bere
Radio Ticino
BEVI. DIMENTICA. OBBEDISCI.
Arturo
Municipality of Chiasso
Il fiume dell'oblio
Tiny Kitchen Sessions
Vita