200 Years of Italian Opera in the United States: 1825–2025

PRESENTATION AND CONCERT

Join us for the presentation of a new 5-year international initiative being launched now by Giuseppe Gerbino (Columbia), Claudio Orazi (Genoa's Carlo Felice Opera House), and Francesco Zimei (University of Trento) followed by a concert featuring works by Paganini, Rossini, and Castelnuovo-Tedesco.

PROGRAM

Opening Remarks:

Barbara Faedda (Italian Academy, Columbia University)
Fabrizio Di Michele (Consul General of Italy in New York)

Speakers/Organizers:

Giuseppe Gerbino (Columbia University)
Francesco Zimei (University of Trento; former Fellow of the Italian Academy)
Claudio Orazi (General Manager of Genoa's Carlo Felice Opera House)

Concert Performers:

Mezzo-soprano Marianna Pizzolato debuted at the Rossini Opera Festival in Pesaro, in 2003, in Il viaggio a Reims, quickly becoming one of the main artists of the festival. Her inclination for Rossini allowed her to take part in acclaimed productions all over the world, including the Teatro San Carlo in Naples, the Metropolitan Opera in New York, and the Santa Fe Opera, as well as in Verdian roles at the Royal Opera House in London and the Welsh National Opera.

Violinist Giuseppe Gibboni won the Paganini Violin Competition in Genoa in October 2021, at just 20 years old; he was the first Italian in 24 years to win the overall prize. He also won the audience choice prize and a special prize for the best interpretations of Paganini’s Capriccios and Violin Concerto. As winner of the Paganini Competition, he also had the opportunity to perform on the “Cannone,” Niccolò Paganini’s favorite instrument, built by Guarneri del Gesù in 1743.

Pianist Valentina Messa has won numerous first prizes in national and international competitions, including the Premio Venezia in 2000, the Luciano Gante of Pordenone in 2001, the 2005 edition of the Società Umanitaria competition in Milan, and the Premio Nazionale delle Arti in 2007. Since 2015, she has been the official pianist of the Paganini Prize in Genoa and has held the same role in the A. Postacchini International Violin Competition in Fermo and the Mazzacurati International Cello Competition in Turin.

Concert Program:

Niccolò Paganini
Introduction and Variations in E-flat major, Op. 12, “Non più mesta” from La Cenerentola
Gioachino Rossini
“Di tanti palpiti” from Tancredi
Niccolò Paganini
Introduction and Variations in A major, Op. 13, “Di tanti palpiti” from Tancredi
Gioachino Rossini
“Assisa a’ piè d’un salice” from Otello
Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco
Concerto no. 3 per Violin and Orchestra, Second Movement (Lento, grave e triste)

ABOUT THE MUSICAL HISTORY

On November 29, 1825, the Park Theater in New York presented the first-ever season of Italian opera in the United States. The stars were the noted tenor Manuel García and his seventeen-year-old daughter, the mezzo-soprano who later gained fame across Europe and the Americas as Maria Malibran. This led to the enduring establishment of foreign-language opera in this city and the birth of the Metropolitan Opera in 1883.

Co-sponsors: The Department of Music, Columbia University; Carlo Felice Opera House, Genoa (as part of its "Bridge of Music," an international project using music as a driver of cultural diplomacy between Italy and the United States)

Related: Read about a conference produced by the Italian Academy in 2018 () and the collected essays from that conference ( ).

Seating is limited and first come, first served. Priority will be given to those who register in advance. Check-in begins 30 minutes before the event and early arrival is suggested.

This event is in-person only.

Image above: John Searle (1783–1834), Park Theatre, 1822, New-York Historical Society

Host or Publisher The Italian Academy of Columbia University