Tapadum at MEI 2026: A Journey Through the World’s Instruments
Tapadum brings a five-part exhibition of world instruments to MEI 2026 in Faenza, from sound healing to Turkish, Persian, medieval European and Greek traditions. Palazzo del Podestà, 3–4 October, free entry.
For its 30th edition, MEI – Meeting degli Indipendenti returns to Faenza from 1 to 4 October 2026, and Tapadum is part of its official programme. Our contribution is not a stage show but a walk: an exhibition of instruments laid out as a route through five musical worlds, set inside the Palazzo del Podestà on Piazza del Popolo. It is one of three exhibitions in this year’s festival programme.
The idea behind it is simple. Instruments travel. The oud became the European lute, frame drums are played on every shore of the Mediterranean, and makers in one tradition have always borrowed from their neighbours. Walking from one area to the next, you can follow those threads with the instruments themselves in front of you.
Five areas, five traditions
- Sound healing. Handpan, steel tongue drum, Tibetan bowls, crystal chimes, monochord, koshi chimes and shamanic drums: the instruments used today in meditation and sound baths. See our sound healing instruments.
- Turkish instruments. Oud, baglama (saz), lavta, tanbur and cumbus; ney and mey; clay and metal darbuka, bendir, riq and davul.
- Persian instruments. Setar, tar, kamancheh, tombak, daf and santur, the core of Iran’s classical tradition. Browse our Persian instruments.
- Medieval Europe. The lute, descended from the Arabic al-ʿūd, and the gittern, its smaller medieval relative.
- Greek instruments. Bouzouki and tzouras.
A santur that changes key
One instrument deserves a closer look: a santur built in our own workshop with a row of levers that raise each string course by a semitone. On a traditional santur, changing key means stopping to retune; with the levers, a player can move to a new mode in the middle of a piece. You can read how it works on the 12-bridge santur with sharping levers page, or come and try it in Faenza.
Practical information
- Where: Palazzo del Podestà, Piazza del Popolo, Faenza (RA), Italy
- When: Saturday 3 and Sunday 4 October 2026, from 10:00
- Entry: free (ingresso libero)
- Festival: MEI 2026, Faenza, 1–4 October
After the festival
The instruments do not disappear when MEI closes: they can be tried by appointment at our showroom at Villa Vezzano in Brisighella, a short drive from Faenza. Get in touch to arrange a visit.