The University of Pavia research unit focuses on the TRAS (Tracce Sonore: Archivio di Storie e Tradizioni Musicali) ethnomusicological audiovisual archive. This constitutes a living repository of audiovisual, sound, and photographic documentation dedicated to the music, narratives, and traditions of both local and migrant communities within the Cremona area. 

Housed at the Department of Musicology and Cultural Heritage of the University of Pavia, the TRAS archive comprises audiovisual documentation of approximately 150 events recorded between 2014 and 2026. The collection is primarily organized into two thematic strands: Migrant Music and From Local to Global.

The ethnographic documentation pertaining to the Migrant Music project is structured as follows:

• The documentation of initiatives organized by communities and associations of foreign residents.

TRAS Archive: Oghene Damba Documentation

The ethnographic records include the documentation of performances by the Oghene Damba Cremona Boys Musical Theatre, a musical ensemble composed of asylum seekers established within the "Casa dell'accoglienza"—an extraordinary reception center (Centro di accoglienza straordinario) managed by Caritas in collaboration with the Municipality of Cremona.

While the group was initially formed to provide a sense of well-being and respite for its members, it has evolved into a formidable medium for cross-cultural communication with the local citizenry. Consequently, the Oghene Damba have been invited by various organizations in Cremona to perform and contribute to a diverse range of public events.

The Department has systematically documented their activities since their inception in 2015, capturing the longitudinal development of the ensemble's role within the community.

Documentation of the "Culture in Dialogo" initiatives, a project arising from the collaboration between the Civic Museums of the Municipality of Cremona, the "Mondinsieme" Intercultural Center (also a municipal entity), and various associations representing foreign residents and Italian citizens of immigrant descent.

Active since 2019, the project fosters a dialectic between the tangible heritage held within Cremona’s museums and the tangible and intangible heritage of the participants' countries of origin. Further details regarding the project are available at: cultureindialogo.it/

The lecture-concert series From Local to Global was established in 2014 within the framework of the Ethnomusicology courses at the Department of Musicology and Cultural Heritage.

Initially conceived for students of Musicology, the initiative immediately expanded its reach to include the general public and educational institutions. Its primary objective is to offer a broader audience the opportunity to engage directly with Italian and international oral tradition musics through the unmediated testimony and performances of the musicians themselves.

While the series has been systematically documented since its inaugural edition, digital access is currently available from the eighth edition onward via the official YouTube channel of the Department of Musicology and Cultural Heritage, accessible here.