Italian Embassy Gala, NSO Concert, & Dinner Honoring Maestro Noseda

Join us for an elegant gala at the Embassy of Italy as the Italian Cultural Society presents one of Washington’s most distinguished evenings celebrating the beauty, magic, and enduring legacy of Italian culture.

This year’s gala honors internationally acclaimed conductor Maestro Gianandrea Noseda and pays tribute to the musical genius of Giacomo Puccini in a setting worthy of the occasion. The evening begins with an Italian cocktail reception accompanied by live jazz, offering guests the rare opportunity to gather at the Embassy of Italy and enjoy the atmosphere of one of the city’s most distinguished diplomatic venues.

The program continues with a special tribute to Maestro Noseda, followed by a performance by the NSO String Quartet featuring a Puccini repertoire that includes rarely performed works and two unpublished pieces receiving their U.S. premiere. Historic Italian instruments from Maestro Noseda’s private collection add another exceptional dimension to an already remarkable evening.

The gala concludes with dinner, recognitions, an awards ceremony, and piano performance, bringing together patrons, supporters, and friends of Italian culture for a memorable celebration of music, refinement, and Italian excellence. Advance reservations are required. There will also be the opportunity of bidding on unique items of our online and silent auction.

Indulge in Italian Cuisine and Wine

6:15-7:15 Cocktails reception with gourmet hors d'oeuvres, Prosecco, Peroni Beer and Cocktails

7:30 - 8:30 Seating at the table (high quality Italian Prosciutto and cheese, red and white wine, acqua S. Pellegrino and Acqua Panna bottles on the tables)

Conversation with Gianandrea Noseda followed by unique NSO Quartet concert featuring 18th century instruments belonging to the collection of Gianandrea Noseda

8:30 Delectable Italian dinner with red and white wine. Live music for the first half hour and scholarship awards ceremonies including a piano performance at the end of the evening.

Program

6:30 pm – Italian Cocktail Reception featuring live jazz

7:30 pm – Tribute to Maestro Gianandrea Noseda, followed by a concert by the NSO String Quartet (Puccini repertoire)

Preludio e fuga (6’ – unpublished, U.S. premiere)
Gavotta (2’ – unpublished, U.S. premiere)
Minuetto (3’ – published, rarely performed; includes a theme later used in Manon Lescaut)
Crisantemi (7’ – well known and regularly performed)

Performers & Instruments

Xiaoxuan Shi, violin — playing a Tommaso Balestrieri, 1765
Benjamin Scott, violin — playing an Alessandro Gagliano, 1725
Dana Kelley, viola — playing a Giovan Battista Ceruti, 1808
Raymond Tsai, cello — playing a Giovanni Francesco Celoniato, 1732

Each instrument is a historic masterpiece crafted by the Italian makers listed above, from the private collection of Maestro Gianandrea Noseda.

8:30 pm – Dinner, Recognitions, Awards Ceremony & Piano Performance

10:00 pm – Conclusion of the evening

Ticket Terms

Kindly note by purchasing a ticket, you accept responsibility to arrive for the event on time. Due to expenses incurred, we are unable to offer refunds if you are unable to attend the event for any reason. Purchase of tickets for the event constitutes your acceptance of our no-refund policy. Event details are subject to change as we continue to refine the event.

Tickets will be released to the person who purchased the tickets upon presenting photo ID. If you purchased more than one ticket, please arrive for admission with your guest(s).

Gianandrea Noseda is one of the world’s most sought-after conductors, equally recognized for his artistry in both the concert hall and opera house. The 2025–2026 season marks his ninth as Music Director of the National Symphony Orchestra.

Noseda’s leadership has inspired and reinvigorated the National Symphony Orchestra, which makes its home at the Kennedy Center. The renewed artistic recognition and critical acclaim has led to invitations to Carnegie Hall and international concert halls, as well as digital streaming and a record label distributed by LSO Live, for which Noseda also records as principal guest conductor of the London Symphony Orchestra. Noseda’s discography spans over 80 recordings, including dozens of critically acclaimed albums with a wide range of orchestras and repertoire for various labels, including Deutsche Grammophon and Chandos.

Noseda became General Music Director of the Zurich Opera House in September 2021 and reached an important milestone in May 2024, conducting two highly praised complete Ring Cycles in a new production by Andreas Homoki. Hewas recognized as “Best Conductor” by the jury of the German OPER! AWARDS, specifically for his Wagner interpretations.

From 2007–2018, Noseda served as Music Director of the Teatro Regio Torino, where his leadership marked the opera house’s golden era.

Noseda has conducted the most important international orchestras, opera houses, and festivals, and had significant roles at the BBC Philharmonic (chief conductor), Israel Philharmonic Orchestra (principal guest conductor), Mariinsky Theatre (principal guest conductor), Orchestra Sinfonica Nazionale della RAI (principal guest conductor), Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra (Victor de Sabata Chair), Rotterdam Philharmonic (principal guest conductor), and Stresa Festival (artistic director).

Working with the next generation of musicians is important to Noseda, and in the summer of 2024, he led an international festival tour with European Union Youth Orchestra which took them to the Edinburgh Festival and the Lucerne Festival, marking a debut for Noseda. In 2019, he was appointed the founding Music Director of the Tsinandali Festival and Pan-Caucasian Youth Orchestra in the village of Tsinandali, Georgia.

A native of Milan, Noseda is Commendatore al Merito della Repubblica Italiana, marking his contribution to the artistic life of Italy. He has been honored as Musical America’s Conductor of the Year (2015) and International Opera Awards Conductor of the Year (2016). In 2023, he received the Puccini Award, whose past recipients include legendary opera stars Maria Callas, Birgit Nilsson, and Luciano Pavarotti.

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