Articles by: I. I.

  • Facts & Stories

    Fred Cuny Award goes to Emma Bonino

    Ms. Bonino was one of seven outstanding leaders being recognized by Crisis Group at its annual awards dinner, In Pursuit of Peace, on 26 October in New York.

    This year’s dinner marked the 20th anniversary of Crisis Group’s mission to prevent and resolve deadly conflict worldwide. Ms. Bonino’s prize was presented by the philanthropist George Soros, a member of Crisis Group’s Board of Trustees.

    Ms. Bonino has been an unflagging advocate for humanitarian and political action in crises. As European commissioner for humanitarian aid during the 1990s, Ms. Bonino fought to draw international attention to crises in the African Great Lakes Region and the Balkans.

    She later founded the campaign group No Peace Without Justice and was a driving force behind the creation of a special court to try crimes committed in the former Yugoslavia. Ms. Bonino is also a pioneer in promoting women’s rights. She joined Crisis Group’s Board of Trustees in 2008. An active member of Italy’s Transnational Radical Party, she served as Italy’s Minister of Foreign Affairs from April 2013 to February 2014. 

     
    Other award winners this year included Sir Richard Branson, Béji Caïd Essebsi, Rached Ghannouchi, Gareth Evans, Babatunde Fashola, and Sadako Ogata. 
     
    Ms. Bonino met with members of the press on 27 October at 11 a.m. at the Consulate General of Italy in New York, 690 Park Avenue.

    The International Crisis Group (ICG) is a transnational non-profit, non-governmental organization founded in 1995 that carries out field research on violent conflict and advances policies to prevent, mitigate or resolve conflict. It advocates policies directly with governments, multilateral organisations and other political actors as well as the media.

    The ICG was founded after a chance meeting in January 1993 between Morton I. Abramowitz former US diplomat and then-President of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace and Mark Malloch Brown, then future World Bank Vice-President on a flight to Sarajevo. 

    The international community’s difficulty in responding to the Bosnian War provided the catalyst for an independent organisation that would serve as the world’s eyes and ears on the ground in countries in conflict while pressing for immediate action. George Soros was involved in discussions early on and provided seed money. Disaster relief specialist Fred Cuny made significant contributions to disaster relief in Bosnia, and was brought on board later that year, though participation was cut short by his death in 1995 in Chechnya.
  • Life & People

    NIAF: 40th Anniversary Gala 2015

    NIAF Board member and Emmy Award-winning Fox News Anchor and Global Markets Editor Maria Bartiromo, and NIAF PresidentJohn M. Viola, co-hosted one of the most popular black-tie galas in our nation’s capital at the Washington Marriott Wardman Park Hotel on October 17, 2015.

    Global music sensation Il Volo – Piero Barone, Ignazio Boscetto and Gianluca Ginoble –
    captured the guests’ attention on stage singing the popular Italian song “Volare.” They closed the evening with “Grande Amore,” their original song that won the Sanremo Music Festival in 2015 to a standing-only audience.
     

    “The only reason I am here tonight is because of my father, he taught me the importance of heritage,” said 12-time MLB All-Star Mike Piazza, who encouraged the guests to pass our rich heritage and culture to the next generation. Piazza was joined by actor Chazz Palminteri, who shared a similar message: “I beg you to give to NIAF; this Foundation represents leadership in the Italian American community,” he said, urging guests to not forget NIAF’s mission and help students through scholarships.
     

    This year’s 40th Gala Dinner Chair and a NIAF Board Member J.J. Cafaro, welcomed a sold out ballroom of more than 1,700 guests from across the United States and Italy. Patricia de Stacy Harrison, 40th anniversary celebration chair, NIAF vice chair, and president and CEO of the Corporation of Public Broadcasting, introduced a video highlighting what it means to be an Italian American from its leadership, past and present.
     

    NIAF Gala honorees included Italian American musical singing legend Connie Francis, who was inducted into the Italian American Hall of Fame. Accepting the award on her behalf, Viola urged guests to nominate Ms. Francis to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
     

    NIAF awarded the Foundation’s Special Achievement Award in Business and Health to Richard E. Caruso, Ph.D., founder and director of Integra LifeSciences, a world leader in medical technology. “It has been my lifelong goal to make a difference in people’s lives, and I’m grateful that I’ve had an opportunity to do so,” Caruso said. He was introduced by Peter J. Arduini, president and CEO of Integra LifeSciences Holdings Corporation, and a member of the NIAF Board of Directors.
     

    Steve Perillo, president and owner of Perillo Tours, America’s largest travel company, received the NIAF Achievement  Award in Business. The longtime apprentice to his father, the legendary Mario Perillo, “Mr. Italy,” Steve Perillo  spoke about the family-owned company that is now celebrating 71 years in the travel industry.
     

    Between award presentations, Italian classical guitarist Tom Sinatra passionately serenaded guests with popular Italian songs.  The Washington Chorus also broke into song with “Va, pensiero,” from the opera Nabucco by Giuseppe Verdi.
     

    The Foundation’s former executive director and senior fellow at the Center for American Progress, Alfred M. Rotondaro, Ph.D., received the Italian American Community Leadership Award. Rotondaro remembered the Foundation’s early founders: “NIAF is a place that nurtures Italian Americans.

    The Sicilian Tenors, including Aaron Caruso, Elio Scaccio and Sam Vitale,  stepped on to the stage to serenade the guests to “O Sole Mio” before NIAF Executive Vice President and Chair of the Italian American Leadership Council (IALC) John F. Calvelli introduced the IALC’s work in finding the next group of leaders.
     

    NIAF’s Co-Chair of the Education and Grants Committee and a member of the Foundation’s Board of Directors Anita Bevacqua McBride welcomed guests from NIAF’s “40 under 40” list of Italian Americans, and introduced NIAF’s new Italian American Leadership Fellows from universities across the country.
     

    Three prominent Italian and Italian Americans, who have distinguished themselves in the fields of government, finance and business received NIAF 40th Anniversary Awards for Leadership and Service. They were Amato L. Berardi, founder of Berardi & Associates Inc., and former member of the Italian Parliament; Mario J. Gabelli, founder and chairman of GAMCO Investors Inc., a New York Stock Exchange listed company; and Franco Nuschese, president of Georgetown Entertainment Group LLC and owner of Cafe Milano in Washington, D.C.
     

    Upon receiving his award, Berardi spoke about the importance of the support and love he received from his family as the best medicine after a recent accident.  Gabelli dedicated his honor to his father. He explained the importance of the scholarships NIAF awards to young people and of giving back that opportunity for others to achieve.

    From the podium, Nuschese dedicated his award to his mother, and the mother of his son, Gianfranco. “They taught me the value of life, love, respect and honesty,” said Nuschese.  He also recognized the late Terrence Lanni, former CEO of MGM Resorts International, who shaped his life and career. “His memory and spiritual legacy is part of my life,” he said.
     

    When Sergio Marchionne, CEO of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, N.V., came to the stage, he explained, “I am merely here to plead my case—my outfit tonight is an international dress code.” Since he spends most of his time on an airplane, he wears the classic white shirt and a black pull over sweater. “Our sense of place stays with you where you go. My father taught me integrity, civil engagement and sense of duty. My mother taught me strong will and sensitivity,” said Marchionne, who received the NIAF Special Achievement Award in International Business.

    “I am a legal immigrant, blessed to be born in Italy and adopted by the United States,” was the message from Josephine J. (Gargiulo) Templeton, M.D., trustee of the John Templeton Foundation. NIAF awarded Templeton with the Foundation’s Special Achievement Award in Philanthropy. She thanked JusticeSamuel A. Alito Jr. for recreating and writing the speech he gave at the 150thAnniversary of the Gettysburg Address.
     

    Taking the stage, Alito welcomed the men and woman who bravely served in the military. He recognized them as the “voice for Italian Americans.” Alito also introduced a video chronicling the activities of the NIAF’s Public Policy program.
     

    Dignitaries from Italy at the Gala included Italy’s Ambassador to the United States Claudio Bisogniero, who led an Italian delegation of business executives. Special guests from the United States, included U.S. Representatives Tom Marino, Joe Heck and Mike Pompeo; Anthony Fauci M.D., director of the National Institutes of  Allergy and Infectious Diseases;Lawrence Romo, director of the Selective Service System; and actors Vinny Pastore and Tony Lo Bianco.  
     

    Guests rose to their feet when Carlo Rotunno sang “Inno di Mameli,” Italy’s national anthem, and singer and songwriter Giada Valenti sang the U.S. national anthem.  During the Gala dinner, a selection of red and white fine Italian wines were served from Italy’s Northern regions that complimented Barolo braised short ribs with polenta and chicken Scarpariello with Italian sausage.
     

    To kick off NIAF’s Gala Weekend, the Foundation partnered with the Italian American Studies Association (IASA) to host a series of conferences on Thursday, October 15, through Saturday, October 17. The sessions covered  topics such as “The End of Italian American Culture: Costs and Consequences,” with panelists Donna Chirico, Fred Gardaphé, Anthony Tamburri and Margherita Ganeri, to “Celebrating Italian American Values in Literature,” with panelists Grace Cavalieri, Rachel Guido deVries, Susan Lembo Balik, Maria Mazziotti and George Guida.
     

    On Friday morning, NIAF and the Italian American Leadership Council (IALC) hosted a NIAF on Campus conference with industry experts and 18 Italian American college students and professors selected as Italian American Fellows. They were joined by NIAF’s leadership, including Ken J. Aspromonte;Gabriel A. Battista; Robert E. Carlucci; Arthur J. Furia; Marie L. Garibaldi;Gerard S. LaRocca; Patricia de Stacy Harrison; Anita Bevacqua McBride;George Simeone; Salvatore Salibello; and John P. Rosa, who gave their perspectives on successful career practices.
     

    Friday evening, Saturday Night Live legend, NIAF Celebrity Ambassador, actor, entertainer and radio host Joe Piscopo launched the weekend’s evening celebrations with “Joe Piscopo and Friends Celebrate Sinatra’s 100thBirthday.” Piscopo was joined by Valenti and Deena Martin, daughter of the late Dean Martin, as the Radio King Orchestra stepped up the beat throughout the evening. NIAF auction chairman, Rosa was on hand to encourage guests to bid on one-of-a-kind items during the live and silent auctions and to purchase a chance to win a Fiat 500 L Lounge.
     

    On Saturday morning, NIAF and the IALC hosted a leadership forum to discuss potential strategies to address the contentious issues surrounding Columbus Day. Noted journalists, representatives from the National Christopher Columbus Association, and the Italian Sons and Daughters of America, as well as leaders of the Italian American community joined the panel.

    Popular weekend events included a documentary screening of “The Tale of the Other Italy,” produced by Rai Italia and directed by a Luigi Maria Perotti.The film tells the Italian emigration story through the various entry ports. It shows how Italian Emigration Museums around the world with their projects, pictures and documents plays a key role in preserving and understanding the past as well as understanding the new Italian emigration in the world.
     

    NIAF also hosted its signature wine tasting featuring 11 Amarone wines from Italy’s Veneto region with sommelier Brian Freedman on hand to lead guests through a spectrum of Italian wines. This remarkable grouping of wines was assembled by Patrizia Marin, president of Marco Polo Experience. Representing the 11 wineries and vineyards, and offering insight into the Amarone wine-making process, were Marie Sabrina Tedeschi of Tedeschi Wines and Antonio Cesari of Brigaldara.
     

    The weekend also featured a medical conference, “Health and Research: Beyond The Eyes,” with a panel discussion about the latest research and common eye conditions with NIAF board member Antonio Giordano, M.D., Ph.D.,  president and founder of Sbarro Health Research Organization Inc., and other notable speakers including Michele Masucci, Ph.D.; Vito M. Campese, M.D.; and Paul Tapino, M.D. Giacomina Massaro-Giordano, M.D.,and Dolores Del Raso presented the 2015 Giovan Giacomo Giordano NIAF Award for Ethnics and Creativity in Medical Research.

    Also during the weekend, Viola hosted “NIAF – Ieri, Oggi, Domani,” an engaging panel discussion focusing on the current state of the Italian American community and its challenges as we move forward. Viola was joined by the Foundation’s Chairman Joseph V. Del Raso, board leaders Calvelli, andHarrison; board members Nicholas R. Caiazzo and John P. Rosa: and Jeff Browning, president of the Italian American Staff Association.

    Expo Italiana, a showcase of the sights, sounds and products of Italy and Italian Americans, included Mike’s Deli, the original Arthur Avenue Italian Deli, with David Greco serving complimentary old-fashioned sandwiches, pasta and Italian delicacies. Peroni Nastro Azzurro served samples of Italy’s finest beer; espresso at Lavazza Café as well as coffee to guests on Friday and Saturday evening. Guests also relaxed and enjoyed many products from companies including Dolce Gelato, La Famiglia Del Grasso; Amina Rubinacci, BiVi Sicilian Vodka, Petrone Antica Distilleria, and Italian food products sales companyCibo Italia,to name a few.
     

    To conclude the Gala program, NIAF Chairman Joseph V. Del Raso thanked the Board of Directors, honorees, guests, supporters and staff. “What a party! And the best is yet to come!” Del Raso said. On stage, a three-tiered birthday cake from Carlo’s Bakery, of Cake Boss fame, was presented to celebrate the Foundation’s 40 incredible years. Del Raso led the guests in singing “Happy Birthday.”
     

    Immediately following the Gala, guests proceeded to attend the Foundation’s famed After Hours Celebration, featuring live entertainment with singer and songwriter Ciro Di Lorenzo, and others in the Marriott Lobby Lounge.
     

    Proceeds from NIAF’s 40th Anniversary Weekend will benefit the Foundation’s educational programs. Mark your calendars for October 13-16, 2016, when the Foundation celebrates its 41st Anniversary Weekend, at the Washington Marriott Wardman Park Hotel in Washington, D.C.
  • L'altra Italia

    L'Abruzzo ed il Molise in mostra a New York

    L’AQUILA – E’ pronto a partire per gli States Goffredo Palmerini, dove sarà ambasciatore d’Abruzzo dal 6 al 16 ottobre a New York e Boston. Sarà impegnato in diversi eventi culturali - nel mese che New York dedica alla cultura italiana con un ricco calendario di appuntamenti - e alle manifestazioni del Columbus Day più famoso d’America. L’evento più importante sarà l’exibit Abruzzo&Molise, Yesterday and Today, una mostra delle eccellenze culturali, storiche, artistiche, oltre a tradizioni ed enogastronomia delle due regioni, in programma dall’8 ottobre al 20 novembre 2015 presso il Westchester Italian Cultural Center di New York (www.wiccny.org), sede della Fondazione Generoso Pope, intitolata al grande magnate e filantropo italoamericano cui si deve la nascita, nel 1929, del Columbus Day.

    La mostra sarà inaugurata l’8 ottobre. Per questo evento, una straordinaria vetrina per  Abruzzo e Molise cui sono stati concessi gratuitamente gli spazi espositivi, la direttrice del WICCNY, Patrizia Calce, ha chiamato proprio Goffredo Palmerini, ambasciatore d’Abruzzo nel mondo, a presentare la sua regione con Mario Fratti, il drammaturgo aquilano che dal 1963 vive a New York, uno degli autori di teatro più prestigiosi e conosciuti nel mondo. Nella serata del 13 ottobre, dalle ore 18:30 in poi, Fratti e Palmerini terranno una conferenza sull’Abruzzo e sulle sue eccellenze e singolarità. Palmerini, in particolare, nell’imminenza del Giubileo della Misericordia, parlerà della Perdonanza, il primo giubileo della storia della cristianità istituito nel 1294 da papa Celestino V, introducendo la successiva proiezione, in anteprima negli Stati Uniti, del film Nolite timere di Giuseppe Tandoi, docufiction sulla vita grande monaco molisano Pietro Angelerio, poi diventato papa per 5 mesi, fino alla rinuncia.

    Numerosi gli impegni in agenda. Il 10 e 11 ottobre Palmerini sarà a Boston per partecipare all’annuale assemblea della Federazione delle Associazioni Abruzzesi in Usa (FAA), presieduta dalla presidente Rosetta Romagnoli, nel corso della quale verrà conferita la Medaglia d’Oro FAA ad una Personalità abruzzese negli Stati Uniti che con il suo lavoro e con prestigio onora l’Abruzzo. E’ un riconoscimento tributato da 23 anni ad insigni personalità. Quest’anno, nella cerimonia d’onore con cena di gala presso il Ristorante Filippo, locale cult di Boston, nella serata del 10 ottobre la Medaglia d’Oro 2015 verrà consegnata alla prof. Laura Benedetti, docente di letteratura italiana e direttrice del Dipartimento italiano alla Georgetown University di Washington D.C., saggista e scrittrice. Fresca di stampa la sua ultima fatica, il romanzo “Il paese di carta”, pubblicato da Pacini Editore. Laura Benedetti è nata all’Aquila, studi e laurea alla Sapienza di Roma, master all’Alberta University di Edmonton (Canada) e dottorato alla Johns Hopkins University di Baltimora, ha insegnato ad Harvard, prestigioso ateneo del Massachusetts, e quindi alla Georgetown University. Ospite d’onore della serata Mario Fratti, che nel 1992 fu il primo insignito di Medaglia d’Oro. Sarà presente anche una rappresentanza della Giostra Cavalleresca di Sulmona, nei tradizionali costumi dei Sestieri.

    Lunedì 12 ottobre - quest’anno proprio nel giorno della scoperta dell’America - la Parata del Columbus Day. Il direttore generale dell’ANFE, Gaetano Calà, e Goffredo Palmerini, presidente regionale in Abruzzo, rappresenteranno la più antica e prestigiosa associazione dell’emigrazione fondata nel 1947 da Maria Federici alle iniziative organizzate dalla Columbus Day Foundation, partecipando infine alla straordinaria sfilata di New York che ogni anno sulla Quinta Avenue entusiasma oltre un milione di spettatori, confermandosi la più spettacolare manifestazione dell’orgoglio italiano negli Stati Uniti d’America.

    Previste inoltre visite alle università (Columbia, NYU, Queens College), a testate giornalistiche (i-Italy, America Oggi), a Radio ICN e all’Italian American Museum. Puntate anche a teatro, nelle rassegne off Broadway. Al Theater for the New City sono in programma, dall’8 al 25 ottobre, due atti unici di Mario Fratti: Wives e Academy, entrambi per la regia di Stephan Morrow. Spettacoli da non perdere. Il 7 ottobre ancora un impegno di forte emozione: il magazine ViceVersa compie il primo anno di vita. Bella rivista, raccoglie le migliori espressioni della cultura ispanica negli Stati Uniti. E’ stato fondato ed è diretto da Mariza Bafile, già direttore della Voce d’Italia a Caracas, fino alla sua elezione nel Parlamento italiano. Mariza è figlia di Gaetano, fondatore di quel glorioso giornale in Venezuela e cittadino onorario dell’Aquila. Ultimo appuntamento, la sera del 15 ottobre, per l’incontro con gli abruzzesi di Astoria, all’Orsogna Mutual Aid Soc Inc, presieduto da Tony Ferrari. Nel distretto di Queens - uno dei 5 che formano New York City (Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, Bronx, Staten Island) -  risiedono diverse migliaia di orsognesi, organizzati in due associazioni. L’Orsogna Mutual Aid Soc Inc e l’Orsogna Club, del quale è presidente Rocco Pace. Chiusura in bellezza, dunque, con la bella gente d’Abruzzo a New York.
  • Events: Reports

    The Italians Are Coming! …to the Big Apple! …to Madison Square Garden!


    For the very first time, European-style basketball in its purest form will be on display in the world’s most famous arena Madison Square Garden, when the most successful team in Italian Basketball history Olimpia Milano hosts the most successful team in Israel, Maccabi Tel Aviv in the inaugural Euro Classic Tournament.  


    Olimpia Milano has been an incredible story of success since its founding in 1936, and as it inaugurates its octogenarian anniversary this season, it is launching the Euro Classic, a tournament 80 years in the making. The Euro Classic will be a great opportunity to showcase the high quality playing-style of the best European teams in the birthplace of basketball.


    It will be a great opportunity for the Italian community and the Hebrew community to attend a game played in an Old World atmosphere with all the fan-thusiasm© and excitement, all on display in the brave new world of an NBA arena.


    From the entertainment of the fans displaying their team’s colors, everything will be like watching a championship-caliber basketball game back home, but on the biggest stage in the world. What makes the event even more spectacular is that the opposing teams are two of the most successful in International basketball history as demonstrated by their having won a total of 9 European titles combined The Story of Olimpia Milano: Le Scarpette Rosse (“The Red Shoes”) 

    Olimpia Milano, which has been owned by fashion icon Giorgio Armani since 2008, is the most successful team in the history of Italian basketball.


    It has won the Italian championship 26 times, has won the European title 3 times, and has won 8 additional prestigious, international tournaments. Olimpia Milano has always reaffirmed its excellence as the most successful team in Italian basketball history by developing the best Italian players, who take pride in wearing Olimpia Milano’s signature scarpette rosse. 


    This year’s team features team captain, Alessandro Gentile, the youngest M.V.P. in the history of Italian basketball. Olimpia Milano has always been steeped in class, innovation, courage and spirit. With the announcement that successful Head Coach Jasmin Repesa will coach the team for the 2015- 2016 season, Repesa will be reunited with Gentile whom he coached in Treviso as a young prodigy. Olimpia Milano is renowned for excellence and is the most widely followed team in Italy, with an average of 9,000 fans attending its home games. Every home game is broadcast live on National TV.

    The Story of Maccabi Tel Aviv:

    Maccabi Tel Aviv has always been the symbol of Israeli sports, a team which is synonymous with the nation of Israel, having won 51 national championships in 61 seasons, starting in 1954. The club has always been an International powerhouse, mixing the best Israeli players with the best American players. Maccabi’s history is a history of excellence. In 2004 and 2005 the team was able to repeat and win back-to-back European titles. In its history, it won six European championships, while participating in 15 finals and winning 41 national cup tournaments. Maccabi was the first International team to defeat an NBA team back in 1978 in Tel Aviv, and then the first team to defeat an NBA team on its home court in 2005. It has played 22 games against NBA teams in the United States.

    Olimpia Milano and the U.S.A.

    For Olimpia Milano, inaugurating the Euro Classic is in character with its long and storied history. In 1987 Olimpia took part in the inaugural McDonald’s Open, the first official competition between an NBA and a European team, held in Milwaukee.


     No club outside the NBA has more representatives in the Naismith Memorial Hall of Fame in Springfield: Coaches Cesare Rubini and Sandro Gamba, and players Dino Meneghin, Senator Bill Bradley and Bob McAdoo. The list of great players in America who used to play for Olimpia is impressive and also includes Mike D’Antoni (whose number 8 jersey has been retired), Danilo Gallinari, John Gianelli, Albert King, Rolando Blackman, Joe Barry Carroll, Skip Thoren, and Antoine Carr.

    *To attend the inaugural Euro Classic:  NBA 

    In New York: Sunday, Oct. 4th @ 12 noon at the world’s most famous arena, Madison Square Garden

    Individual tickets: may be obtained via www.Ticketmaster.com or by calling 800-745-3000. 

  • Events: Reports

    The Bilingual Fair is Back


    Founder, Emmanuel Saint Martin comments, “Last year we started with the conviction that the demand for bilingual education was stronger than ever.  This year’s edition is much bigger with many more languages represented. Our children live in a far different world than we did and it's important to be able to speak more than one language. Parents and educators are realizing this and this is becoming the new norm."

    Classes are available throughout New York City, in both private and public education.  According to Chancellor Carmen Farina, “I dream of a New York City where every child speaks and writes two languages and is a true member of a global citizenry.


    Dual Language programs make a difference for students and families in our increasingly globalized world. Speaking multiple languages and understanding different cultures is an asset for students, families, schools and our entire city, and they’re critical skills students will need for highly coveted 21st century jobs.”

    IACE (Italian Committee on Education) is partner of this event.

    The Education Office at the Italian Consulate General, IACE, and FIAO (Federation of Italian American Organizations) are committed to developing a dual language Italian class program because they are firmly convinced that it is a great way to reconnect the Italian American new generations to their roots and an important opportunity to promote Italian culture, history, excellence and way of life.

    On this special occasion, they will organize the workshop “Italian: how bilingual education can reconnect Italian Americans to their roots” that will be held t 11.15am. During the workshop the perspective of development of the program will be discussed.

    The first Italian Dual Language class in NYC has just started in Brooklyn, at Bensonhurst P.S. 768, connected with P.S. 112, led by Principal Jack Spatola and Principal Louise Verdemare-Alfano .

     

    The other exhibitors and specific roundtable discussions will address:

    Which language should we speak at home?

    What if he/she mixes languages?

    Where can I find other families who speak the same language?

    How should I choose a school for my bilingual child?

    How to help your kids in a language you don’t know

    Learning Mandarin: How they can do it!

     

    More than 80 schools (in 8 languages), publishers, educators, businesses and experts that practice and promote bilingual education in languages including French, Spanish, Chinese, Italian, German, Korean, Japanese, Arabic, Hebrew and more will be on hand at this interactive, fun-filled event to answer your questions. Childcare will be available all day long as well as many educational activities to keep the children active and engaged.

     

    Piccolo café is partner and official sponsor of this event.
  • Events: Reports

    From Ghetto to Cappella Interfaith Explorations in the Music of Baroque Italy

    A lecture Cracks in the Wall on September 30th at 6pm by Piergabriele Mancuso of the Medici Archive Research Project of Florence, Italy offers a discussion of the historical and sociological context of the music.
    The Counter-Reformation, or the reaction of the Catholic Church against the Protestant Reformations throughout northern Europe which challenged its authority, produced the first ghetto in the world. While the intent of the ghetto was to impose complete physical separation, the ghetto walls that separated Gentile from Jew were more porous than impenetrable, regularly traversed by interlopers both Jewish and Gentile.
     
    On 29th March 1516 the Senate of the Most Serene Republic of Venice established the first Jewish ghetto in the world. Ashkenazi and Italian Jews were forced to live in a relatively big island - that of the geto, in Venetian vernacular meaning "foundry" - surrounded by canals, supervised at night by Christian police, and to undergo a series of socio-economic restrictions aiming to mark a clear distinction between the Jews and the Christian-Catholic majority. A few decades later also Jews from Spain and the Levant were forced to enter the ghetto. Made up by Jews speaking different languages, observing different religious rules and customs, dressing and behaving differently, listening to different music repertoires, the ghetto soon became a colorful microcosm, a pre-modern socio-cultural melting pot.
     

    In spite of the official anti-Jewish legislation, in Venice, Florence, and Rome and in many other Italian and European cities hosting a ghetto, Judeo-Christian human, cultural, intellectual and nonetheless artistic interactions were inevitable. Music probably much more than any other form of artistic discipline expressed the permeability of the ghetto's walls, the repertoire of one community becoming - often involuntarily, unconsciously - patrimony of the other one, traditional monodic Jewish tunes resounding in the polyphonic fabrics of ecclesiastical cappella music, secular Gentile tunes (often those of very obscene popular songs) accompanying some of the most sacred moments during the Hebrew liturgy.
     

    Works of Benedetto Marcello (1686- 1739), Francesco Durante (1684 - 1755), Barbara Strozzi (1619 - 1677), Salomone Rossi (c.1570 - c.1630), and unaccompanied Hebrew chants attest to a lively conversation, as do selections from the 1759 Hebrew language libretto of Handel's Esther, commissioned by the Jewish community of Amsterdam in the year of the composer's death.
     
    Our program of Italian music opens with D'ror Yikra, an unaccompanied chant from 18th century Yemen. The text by Dunash ha-Levi ben Labrat (920-990) is a prayer for peace and freedom, a prayer in praise of the Sabbath, a prayer for security by an uprooted people.
     

    Jews from the Middle East were transplanted to Italy as early as Ancient Roman times, as Jews expelled from Spain found a home there after 1492. Italian Jewish communities incorporated descendants of both Sephardic refugees as well as those of slaves brought back from Judaea by conquering Roman armies. That the Jewish presence in Italy was characterized by the familiar and precarious balance between assimilation and exile is well known to us. What is less commonly explored is the cross-fertilization between Jewish and Christian musical cultures, and the impact this exchange had on mainstream compositional voices of the seicento.
     

    Salon/Sanctuary Concerts presented a concert dedicated to the music of the groundbreaking Renaissance Italian-Jewish composer Salomone Rossi (1570-1630). for four years in a row. Rossi flourished as both a composer and violinist in the court of Mantua and revolutionized the sacred music of his own people by incorporating musical forms that had previously been forbidden in the synagogue. His sister was an opera singer who premiered roles in some of the very first operas that were ever written. He achieved a remarkable level of acceptance at a time of great intolerance. He lived in two worlds, and that is why our concert dedicated to him has always been called From Ghetto to Palazzo, in reference to the Ghetto of his people and the Palazzo of the people he served.
     

    Salomone Rossi revolutionized sacred Jewish music and created an uproar by setting Hebrew texts to polyphony, a form considered too lavish and thus unbefitting a people in exile. Just as Rossi reshaped the music of the synagogue by incorporating the forbidden polyphony of the church, many Christian composers brought sweeping changes to their sacred music by absorbing sounds they heard from neighboring Jewish ghettos. Nowhere was this more prevalent than in Venice. Numerous Venetian sacred compositions reveal modes and melodies so closely associated with the synagogue that it is next to impossible not to bring up the comparison of Temple and Church. This is why this year's exploration, which goes beyond the work of Rossi, is called From Ghetto to Cappella.
     

    17th century Venice was a melting pot with many parallels to modern day New York. Jewish ghettos co-existed with Turkish and Armenian ones, while relatively liberal social attitudes for the time allowed for a degree of social exchange between people of different religions. Venice was not just the city we know today, but the region of the Veneto, which encompassed Salomone Rossi's Mantua as well as a number of other cities and towns. The ghetto walls which separated Gentile from Jew were more porous than impenetrable. Many Christians went to the ghettos for entertainment as well as edification, visiting synagogue services in order to experience an ancient tradition that gave foundation to their own. That this curiosity did nothing to prevent frequent acts of violence against Jews is fascinating, and gives a picture of a Jewish community perched uneasily between acculturation and expulsion.
     
    Salomone Rossi makes an appearance in our program with two canzoni written for the pleasure of the Gonzaga court. Along with Rossi we hear Benedetto Marcello (1686 - 1739), whose Estro Poetico Armonico (1724) includes Hebrew chants inserted between Psalm settings in Italian which take their melodies from the chants. Another composer whose work suggests an Jewish influence is Barbara Strozzi (1619 - 1677), who was unique not only for being a successful female composer in a time of limited options for women, but for possessing a singular artistic voice which shined through works of striking invention that stand the test of time and sound radical even today. Her motet Salve Regina daringly sets a standard Christian sacred text to a Byzantine chant-like opening, and in the opening of her Lagrime mie, one discerns elements of cantorial chant deployed in the expression of an abandoned lover's laments.
     

    Francesco Durante was a Neapolitan composer known for his sacred compositions. His aria Vergin tutto amor has become engrained in the consciousness of classical singers everywhere due to its inclusion in the collection of 24 Italian Songs and Arias with which so many in the United States begin vocal study. The song is known to us as a pedagogical piece, and as it is uprooted from its historical context, we know Vergin tutto amor as an isolated work rather than as an excerpt from a mass or motet. However the phrygian mode discernable in the descending scale which sets the text O madre pia (merciful mother) is known as Freygish, common to Middle Eastern music and Hebrew prayer. Because so little is known about Durante, how the Freygish made its way into this setting of a most Catholic text is an intriguing mystery about which we can only conjecture.
     

    At the dawn of the 18th century, Georg Friedrich Handel's youthful Italian sojourn offered the German composer a lesson in the compositional techniques of the Italian seicento. This education resulted in a compositional output that formed the blueprints for many of his later works which he wrote in London, oratorios which set Old Testament stories to Italianate music. The chamber duet Langue, Geme tells a story of a dove separated from her mate, who rootlessly flutters and laments until reunited with her other half.
     
    In 1759,the year of Handel's death, the Jewish community of Amsterdam commissioned a Hebrew translation of Handel's London oratorio, Esther, which tells the story of Esther the orphan, the indomitable Jewish heroine who saved her people from extinction under Persian rule. A duet from that work, Mi mavet mi nafshi, concludes our program. In this short piece, Esther's entreaty finds voice through a Hebrew text.
     
    The translation from English to Hebrew was penned by Jacob Saraval (1707 -1782), Rabbi of Mantua.

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    AESTHETIC APPROACH
     

     

    NYU Casa Italiana Zerilli-Marimò welcomes a new collaboration with the "bold and enterprising" (Time Out New York) early music presenter Salon/Sanctuary Concerts, recognized for innovative interdisciplinary projects which view history through the prism of music. Our new partnership provides us with a welcome opportunity to explore the roots of another very popular facet of our programming - Italian opera. While many early music presenters and practitioners champion a specious oppositional relationship between the vocal technique of 19th century opera and so-called "early music singing," advocating a genderless and vibrato-free timbre that arose from English boy choirs as putatively "authentic," Italians have always known the origins of bel canto in Florence in the 16th century with the premiere of the first opera, evolving to the modern day operatic sound we recognize today through the consistent embrace of full-bodied and lustrous voices. As enthusiasm for the boyish timbres of the first wave of historical performance wanes, NYU Casa Italiana stands at the forefront with those most familiar with the 400 year old Italian operatic tradition.
     
    VENUE
     
    The exquisite 1607 Library of the Fabbri Mansion sets the stage for an ensemble of American, Italian, Croatian, and Israeli soloists, who come together to perform a unique program of unexamined treasures. The Library, originally part of a palace constructed by the della Rovere Family, was brought over from Urbania, Italy during World War I by Edith Fabbri, who commissioned a Florentine style palazzo to be built on East 95th Street to contain the library.

     

     

     

     

     

    ARTISTS
     
    Soprano and Salon/Sanctuary Founder and Artistic Director Jessica Gould has been noted for "a dramatic intensity that honored the texts" (The New York Times), and for having "reached the heart of an enraptured English audience" (Traditional Music Maker, UK). With actor Roger Rees and the Paul Dresher Ensemble she can be heard on the New World Records CD Tell the Birds, featuring works of Eve Beglarian. Chamber music performances include The Guggenheim Works & Process Series with The Cassatt Quartet, The Beinecke Library at Yale University, The Clarion Society, Sinfonia New York, The Four Nations Ensemble, The Virginia Arts Festival, The American Philosophical Society, and as well as guest soloist appearances with numerous ensembles. Presenters abroad include Martedì in Arte at the Palazzo Davanzati, Casa Martelli, the Cappella di San Luca of the Church of Santissima Annunziata, the Museo di Arte Sacra in Tuscany, Scandicci Cultura, and the Library of the Museo di San Marco (Florence), Barocc'a Primavera at the Chiesa di Santa Barbara dei Librari (Rome), the UK Lute Society (London) and Hengrave Hall (Bury St. Edmunds, UK). Operatic roles include Donna Anna in Don Giovanni, Madame Herz in The Impresario, the title roles of Handel's Semele and Agrippina. As Founder and Artistic Director of Salon/Sanctuary Concerts, her original programming featuring repertoire from the 8th to 18th centuries has been praised as "impeccably curated" by Time Out New York, "highly original" by The New York Times, and "imaginative" by New York Magazine. Upcoming performances in the US include a series of staged concerts of Handel mad scenes with American Virtuosi under the direction of Kenneth Hamrick. Upcoming recitals abroad include Florence, Milan, Rome, Bulgaria and Croatia with lutenist Diego Cantalupi. Upcoming recording projects with Mr. Cantalupi include recently discovered baroque Italian repertoire from the Biblioteca di Modena.

    A versatile artist with an affinity for many musical styles, Noa Frenkel is a true contralto with an extensive vocal range. Her concert repertoire reaches from Renaissance to contemporary music. Recent concert appearances include Händel's Dixit Dominus with the Flemish Radio Choir, Donatoni's Abyss in Casa da Musica in Porto, Luigi Nono's Prometeo at La Scala-Milan, Holland Festival, Lucerne Festival, and the Berliner Philharmonie; Mahler's Das Lied von der Erde with the Orchestre Symphonique de Mulhouse, Verdi's Requiem at the Ljubljana festival, Mahler's Symphony No 2 with the Israel Symphony Orchestra Rishon Lezion and Nono's Guai ai gelidi Mostri at the Salzburg Festival. Most recent opera appearances include world premiere of the complete version of Stockhausen's Sontag aus Licht at Opera Köln, Pnima by Chaya Czernowin at Opera Stuttgart, Tod eines Bankers by Andreas Kersting in Theater Görlitz, Woman in Zaide/Adama by Mozart/Czernowin at the Salzburg Festival, Frau Ocholowska in world premiere of Johannes Kalitzke's Die Besessenen at Theater an der Wien, Third lady in Mozart's Die Zauberflöte at the Opera of Nantes and Angers, Madame Flora in Menotti's The Medium with Opera Rotterdam, La Maestra delle novizie in Puccini's Suor Angelica with the Bochumer Symphoniker, Philip Glass's Akhnaten in Rotterdam, the Madrigal Opera La Barca with the Nationale Reisopera in Holland and Belgium and a new production of Zaide/Adama at Theater Bremen. Frenkel has appeared with Baroque ensembles such as Les Arts Florissants, Elyma Ensemble, Combattimento Amsterdam, and the Utrecht Baroque Consort. Ms. Frenkel had the pleasure to work with conductors such as Ivor Bolton, Reinbert de Leeuw, Ingo Metzmacher, Kenneth Weiss, Kenneth Montgomery, Dan Ettinger, Ilan Volkov, Friedemann Layer, Gabriel Garrido, Peter Dijkstra, Emilio Pomarico, Jos van Veldhoven and Steven Sloane.

    One of Italy's leading lutenists with over 100 recordings to his name, Diego Cantalupi studied classical guitar with Mauro Storti. Parallel interests in renaissance, baroque and pre-romantic music led him to study early performance techniques following courses in lute-playing at the Ancient Music Department of the Civica Scuola di Musica in Milano (Paul Beier) and at the Conservatorio in Parma (Andrea Damiani). In 1996 he was awarded a degree with honors in Musicology from the Scuola di Paleografia e Filologia Musicale in Cremona. He performs regularly as soloist and continuo player with leading period instrument ensembles worldwide, such as 'La Venexiana', 'L'Arte dell'arco', 'La Verdi Barocca', 'Divino Sospiro', 'Accademia degli Astrusi', 'Il Capricio'. He is the founder and director of the 'Ensemble L'Aura Soave', whose repertory and instrumentarium is based exclusively on his research. Equally at home working with modern instruments, Diego has performed with many leading orchestras including 'Solisti Filarmonici Italiani', 'I Solisti Veneti', 'Kammerakademie Potsdam', 'I Pomeriggi Musicali', 'Streicherakademie Bozen'. His repertory spans many centuries, and his discography ranges from some of the earliest surviving lute works to the contemporary theorbo and lute works written for him. An experienced teacher at all levels, Diego Cantalupi teaches lute at the Conservatorio di Bari, and on many summer schools and courses; he is regularly invited to serve as specialist examiner by both universities and music conservatoires. He is currently preparing the first modern method for theorbo.

    Born in Croatia, lutenist Diego Leverić currently studies in the Musicology program in Cremona with the University of Pavia. Fascinated by the world of ancient music he has begun studying the Renaissance lute, the theory, and Baroque guitar with M° Maurizio Piantelli. He is currently pursuing a master of baroque lute in conservatory of Bari with M° Diego Cantalupi. He has participated in masterclasses and private lessons with the greatest lute players of today: Hopkinson Smith, Paul O'Dette, Eduardo Eguez, Andrea Damiani, Massimo Lonardi and Xavier Diaz-Latorre. In 2011 he won third prize (first prize not awarded) in the first edition of the lute competition Maurizio Pratola, in L'Aquila, Italy. The following year, in the second edition of the same competition presided over by Paul O'Dette, performing on renaissance lute and theorbo he won first prize in the solo category and first prize in the overall category of "chamber music" with the duo Sursum Corda. He is one of the winners of the international competition "Concursos Internacionaisde Jovens Interpretes de Musica Antiga" in Lisbon, Portugal. As an ensemble musician, he has performed under the direction of Claudio Scimone, Martin Gester, Marco Mencoboni, Federico Ferri, Andre de Carlo, Joachim Fontaine, and Diego Cantalupi. He performed as soloist and in ensembles throughout Europe: Belgium, Croatia, France, Italy, Germany, Turkey, and Switzerland. He has recorded for labels Arcana, Naive and Marcello Villa Cremona. He is also featured in a video recording is with singer Renato Dolcini in the realization of a documentary on Claudio Monteverdi which was filmed inside of the Ducal Palace of Mantua for the television station 3Sat.
     

     
    This spring, cellist James Waldo served as principal cellist in an all-Beethoven program with Cecilia Chorus and Orchestra in Stern Auditorium at Carnegie Hall. Originally from Minnesota, James now lives in New York City, where he works as a freelance chamber and orchestral musician. Recent projects include appearing as solo cellist with the Atlanta Boy Choir on a tour to Poland and the Czech Republic, participating in the inaugural recording project of newly formed consort LeStrange Viols, touring the west coast with orchestral folk ensemble Spirits of the Red City, appearing as a guest cellist at Gramercy Theater with The Brilliance, performing in the dramatic production of "More Between Heaven And Earth" with the Salon/Sanctuary Chamber Orchestra at the American Philosophical Society of Philadelphia, and joining the North Carolina Baroque Orchestra and Trinity Cathedral Choir in Columbia, SC for a performance of Handel's Messiah. James is a merit scholarship graduate of the Master's of Music and Professional Studies Diploma programs at Mannes College in New York City, where he studied with Timothy Eddy, and served all four years as principal cellist for Mannes' Orchestra and Opera programs. James also received a Bachelor of Music with Academic Distinction at the University of Madison-Wisconsin under the tutelage of cellist and Feldenkrais practitioner Uri Vardi. As a child, he studied at the MacPhail Center for Music Suzuki Program with Brenda Villard in Minneapolis, MN. James' first and perhaps most formational award experience was auditioning for and winning a spot in a masterclass with Yo Yo Ma at age 11. Other awards and recognitions include the prestigious Gregory Award for Excellence in Performance, The Dale Gilbert Award for Outstanding String Players, first prizes in the University of Wisconsin-Madison and Menomonee Falls Concerto Competitions, and the rank of finalist in the Mannes Concerto Competition.
     

     
    Organist Pedro D'Aquino is organist and choir director of Congregation B'nai Jeshurun of Short Hills, N.J. He also is cantor of Saint Luke's Lutheran Church in Manhattan's Theater District, and precentor and music director of the Traditional Latin Mass Community at the Church of the Holy Innocents in the Garment District. Prior to his appointment at B'nai Jeshurun, Pedro served as organist of Congregation Emanu-El of the City of New York. In 2004 he joined the faculty of the School of Sacred Music of Hebrew Union College - Jewish Institute of Religion in New York, where he is an accompanist/coach and instructor of music theory. A graduate of Stony Brook University, Pedro studied organ with Meredith Elaine Baker and Anne Wilson, conducting with Marguerite Brooks, liturgy and sacred music at the Royal School of Church Music in England, and Gregorian Chant at the Abbaye Saint-Pierre de Solesmes in France. His vocal and instrumental compositions and arrangements have been premiered by One World Symphony and the choirs of Temple Emanu-El; Temple B'nai Jeshurun; Temple Rodef Shalom of Falls Church, VA and the Church of the Holy Family (United Nations) in New York City, as well as at Syracuse University. He has been active in ecumenical and interfaith dialogue for many years, having worked on both Lutheran-Episcopal and Lutheran-Roman Catholic dialogues, as well as the Interseminary Dialogue of New York City, an informal gathering of seminarians from eight different Jewish and Christian seminaries in the New York area, representing a variety of denominational traditions. In 2009 he was made a fellow and choir master of the American Guild of Organists and was awarded both the Choir Master Prize and the prestigious S. Lewis Elmer Award.
     
    From Ghetto to Cappella is co-presented by Salon/Sanctuary Concerts and Casa Italiana Zerilli-Marimò of New York University, with the assistance of L'Istituto Italiano di Cultura di New York. Ghetto/Cappella is an original project of Salon/Sanctuary Concerts, and was originally developed with the generous support of the Archdiocese of Florence, Italy.
     
    PERFORMERS
     
    Jessica Gould, soprano & Noa Frenkel, contralto
    Diego Cantalupi and Diego Leverić, lutes
    James Waldo, viola da gamba
    Pedro d'Aquino, harpsichord and organ
     
    CONCERT DATE
     
    Sunday, October 11th
     
    TIME
    4:00pm
     
    LOCATION
    The Fabbri Library of the House of the Redeemer
    7 East 95th Street
     
    TICKETS
    25 / 35 / 50 / 125
    1 888 718-4253
     

    SCHEDULE OF OTHER EVENTS
    Lecture and opening reception 9/30 6:15pm
    Casa Italiana Zerilli-Marimò at NYU, 24 W. 12th St., Free Admission
    Lute Master Class with Diego Cantalupi 10/3 4pm

    Casa Italiana Zerilli-Marimò at NYU, Free Admission, Reservations Required.

    CONTACT
    Kostja Kostic
    Assistant Director NYU Casa Italiana Zerilli-Marimò
    [email protected]
    Tel: 212-998-3862

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     
  • L'altra Italia

    "Dove tornano le nuvole bianche. Viaggio in bicicletta nell'Abruzzo abbandonato"




    La Uao Edizioni, neonata casa editrice aquilana, pubblica in questi giorni il libro "Dove tornano le nuvole bianche. Viaggio in bicicletta nell'Abruzzo abbandonato" di Ezio Colanzi. Nel 2014 l’autore ha affrontato un viaggio in bicicletta tra i paesi abbandonati dell’Abruzzo, un itinerario tutto montano dal Gran Sasso ai Monti della Laga, dal Parco Naturale Sirente Velino, fino alla Majella. 

     

    Ezio Colanzi attraversa i luoghi dimenticati, racconta delle persone che li abitano e di quelli che periodicamente tornano a viverli. Una bicicletta e chi la conduce: il diario di un viaggio insolito per settecento chilometri di sentieri e mulattiere attraverso l'Abruzzo abbandonato, un piccolo mondo di storie vive e incandescenti, dove emergono biografie impensate. Storie che risplendono - attraverso le parole - di un'umanità profonda e dimenticata.


    Ad accompagnare il libro un evocativo booktrailer (https://youtu.be/0cnA56cqG64) ci introduce nel viaggio emozionante e intimo fatto di incontri inaspettati e sinceri come le montagne d'Abruzzo. La presenza di chi li attraversa e ne scrive è una collaborazione reale alla riscoperta. Custode di un'eredità da raccogliere, diffondere e di cui interpretare il profondo messaggio, l'autore è anche soggetto e materia di questo libro e impone un ribaltamento prospettico cui è impossibile sottrarsi.

    Nella sua nota finale il professor Sandro Cordeschi dice: “Quando mi sono imbattuto, per una fortunata circostanza, nel dattiloscritto di Ezio Colanzi, [...] ho provato la sensazione di una specie di epifania, tanto più sorprendente quanto più vicina, nello spazio, all'ambiente che meglio conosco, quello della ‘nostra’ terra. Mi sono detto, appena dopo qualche pagina, ‘ecco un libro di viaggio’, finalmente.”

    "Il silenzio più che una gabbia è un vestito che copre le rocce, i prati. Il silenzio qui è un custode sereno che non trattiene nessuno.
    Mi volto verso la montagna.
    'Si avvicinano le nuvole bianche'.
    Mario le vede:     'No, qui le nuvole bianche tornano”. 

    (Ezio Colanzi, “Dove tornano le nuvole bianche”).
     
     
  • Fatti e Storie

    Un palazzo di dieci mila metri quadrati per la Scuola d'Italia

    Il palazzo di 14 piani che ospitava gli uffici del Mt Sinai Medical System, aule e altre strutture, consentiranno alla prestigiosa Scuola d’Italia di New York, che attualmente ospita bambini da 3 anni alla Maturitscientifica di ampliarsi, con l’aggiunta di un asilo nido, un centro culturale, un teatro, una palestra, una mensa, una biblioteca e una struttura anche adibita all’instruzione dell’Italiano per adulti.
    La Scuola d’Italia, da 38 anni una scuola indipendente, privata e bilingue che ospita bambini da tre anni alla maturitá scientifica, ha acquisito il palazzo di quattordici piani e 9,476m2 al 432 West 58th Street di New York City dal Mt Sinai Medical System, per consolidare le attuali sue due strutture in un unico complesso, così da consentire alla scuola di incrementare da 300 a 700 il numero di iscritti a tempo pieno dall’asilo alla maturitá scientifica con lo scopo ulteriore di servire per tutto l’anno come centro culturale ed educativo per adulti.
     
    Attualmente la scuola è divisa tra due strutture separate che verranno unite in un unico complesso nel nuovo palazzo a settembre del 2016, dopo la riprogettazione e la ristrutturazione della struttura, che includerá la creazione di 28 classi adattabili alle esigenze educative, una versatile palestra, un modernissimo teatro con 220 posti a sedere, un centro multimediale, una biblioteca, uno spazio espositivo, laboratori dedicati a specifiche funzioni, un atelier secondo il modello educativo di Reggio Emilia, un asilo nido, un giardino e una straordinaria mensa per gli studenti e lezioni di cucina.
     
    Il Comm. Stefano Acunto, Presidente del Consiglio di Amministrazione de La Scuola, ha dichiarato che il Consiglio di Amministrazione  ha fatto un passo in avanti,  storico nella promozione della presenza italiana in campo educativo negli Stati Uniti con l’acquisizione dell’importante edificio: “La Scuola è unica negli Stati Uniti e sará  ora in grado di competere con un’offerta educativa e siderabilitá paragonabile alle migliori scuole di New York. Il carattere bilingue della scuola insieme ad un eccellente e stimolante curriculum, l’eccezionale corpo docente e amministrativo e l’impegno di genitori e studenti, hanno creato la formula giusta per il successo. Cresceremo da diversi punti di vista, da una maggiore attenzione alle scienze e alla matematica, fino all’inserimento della lingua Francese e di altri corsi di studio per aiutare l’inserimento dei nostri diplomati ad accedere alle piú importanti universitá Americane ed Europee come Yale, Penn, Bocconi, NYU, St Andrew’s, Columbia e molte altre istituzioni americane ed estere.
     
    La Scuola si sta preparando per implementare corsi che permetteranno di raggiungere una posizione prestigiosa ed comparabile alle migliori scuole sia di New York che del resto degli Stati Uniti e di godere dell’entusiasmo e della fiducia di tutta la comunitá della scuola, genitori, dipendenti e studenti.”
     
    Il Commendator Acunto ha affermato che La Scuola ha giá iniziato a valutare il progetto di un pensionato per accogliere studenti liceali italiani ed europei. L’attuale sede della scuola sulla 96th Street è in vendita: “Venderemo il nostro edificio sito presso il 12 East 96th Street, daremo in affitto tre piani della nuova struttura sulla 58th Street dotati di entrata e ascensore autonomi e inizieremo la nostra Capital Campaign per raggiungere i fondi utili per integrare la nostra gestione finanziaria corrente. L’edificio si trova a soli due isolati dall’ingresso di Central Park di Columbus Circlee,  questooffre interessanti opportunitá di visibilitá e reputazione ai potenziali benefattori, la struttura sará caratterizzata da una magnifica facciata di vetro e da uno stupendo atrio, un modernissimo teatro, una palestra, un centro multimediale e da molti altri progetti.”aggiunge.
     
    Secondo Carlo Mantica, Chief Operating Officer della Scuola e project leader per la compravendita, la prospettiva della scuola come istituto è vista positivamente dalla comunitá finanziaria: “ Abbiamo giá ricevuto parole di supporto da importanti uomini d’affari italiani, italo-americani e da molti altri imprenditori e opinion leaders i quali credono che questo unico, nuovo, spazioso e moderno edificio dimostrerá di essere tra i maggiori istituti culturali e centri formativi italiani fuori dall’Italia, sicuramente con il piú alto numero di studenti appassionati alla lingua e alla cultura italiana negli Stati Uniti,” ha dichiarato aggiungendo “La scelta del quartiere è stata strategica, selezionandolo in base all’accessibilitá ai trasporti pubblici, alla vicinanza ai maggiori istituti culturali ed educativi newyorkesi e alla sua ideale posizione nel cuore di tantissimi palazzi residenziali giá esistenti e di tanti altri attualmente in costruzione raggiungibili a piedi. Si trova infatti in una importante, sicura ed esclusiva area residenziale della cittá.”
     
    La Scuola d’Italia è stata rappresentata da Justin DiMare  e Howard Kesseler del Newmark Grubb Knight Frank. Il successo della transazione è stato raggiunto anche grazie al coinvolgimento di molte altre parti, che includono: Nguyen Huynh della banca Gates Capital Corporation, la societa’ di costruzione Colosseo Development Group, Inc.,, e gli avvocati Alan Kleiman and Allen Roberts dello studio legale Epstein Becker Green.
     
    Il Consiglio di Amministrazione della Scuola è composto dai seguenti: Commendator Acunto, Presidente, Signora Piera Palazzolo, Vice Presidente, Dott. Pascal de Caprariis, MD, Segretario, Dott.ssa Francesca Verga, MD, Thomas Pecora, il Giudice Federale degli Stati Uniti e Onerevole. William Martini, il Giudice dello Stato di New York Dominic Massaro, Dott.ssa Bette Talvacchia, PhD, Kim Brizzolara, Baronessa Mariuccia Zerilli-Marimó, Dott. Giancarlo Bruno e Dott. Richard Marrotta, PhD. La scuola è guidata amministrativamente dal Dott. Carlo Mantica, Chief Operating Officer e dalla Dott.ssa Maria Palandra, PhD Rettore della Scuola.
     
    IN ALLEGATO: disegno preliminare della futura sede della Scuola – DMR Architects, scarica qui >>
     
    PER ULTERIORI INFORMAZIONI SI PREGA DI CONTATTARE IL DOTT. CARLO MANTICA al  212 369 3290  o via  E-MAIL: CARLO MANTICA ([email protected]).
     
  • Facts & Stories

    La Scuola d'Italia Acquires 102,000 SF Building in Manhattan


    La Scuola d'Italia, the 38 year old independent, bi-lingual Pre-K through 12 private school, has acquired a fourteen floor 102,000 square foot building at 432 west 58th Street from the Mount Sinai Health System, to consolidate its two locations into one, to enable the school to expand from 300 to as many as 700 students from nursery and pre K through 12 and to serve year round as a cultural and adult education center. The purchase price was not disclosed. The school currently occupies two separate facilities which will be consolidated into the new building in September 2016, following renovations to the building, including the creation of 28 flexible use classrooms, a full gymnasium, an ultra modern 220 seat auditorium, media center, library, exhibit space, specialized labs, performance and art studios, nursery facilities, an outdoor garden, and exceptional dining facilities for students and for culinary arts instruction.

     

    Comm. Stefano Acunto, Chairman of the Board of La Scuola, stated that the School's Board of Trustees took a bold, historic step in the advancement of Italian presence in education in the US by acquiring the facility. "La Scuola is singular in the United States and will now advance to a new level of competitiveness and desirability among New York's independent private schools. Our bi-lingual emphasis, together with an outstanding, challenging curriculum, high standards of academic credibility, outstanding faculty and administration and dedicated family of parents and students have created a formula for success. We will be expanding in several ways, from the implementation of additional internationally recognized degrees and a strong emphasis on science and math to the addition of French and other new courses of study to support our graduates' placements in top American and European colleges such as Yale, Penn, Bocconi, NYU, St Andrew's, Columbia and several other leading institutions here and abroad. We are charting a course that will set La Scuola firmly among the leading schools of its type in New York and in the US so it may enjoy the continued enthusiasm and confidence of the school's community, parents, faculty and students."

     

              La Scuola has begun to explore plans to accept boarding students over the years ahead, according to Mr. Acunto, who noted that the school's current 96thStreet building is on the market: "We will be selling our 96th Street facility, will be offering three floors for rental at the 58thStreet facility with a separate entrance and elevator, and we will begin a Capital Campaign to raise funds to supplement our strongly consistent financial operations. The building, which is two blocks from the Columbus Circle entrance to Central Park, and which offers interesting, high visibility naming opportunities for contributors, will feature a beautiful glass façade and atrium, ultra modern auditorium, gymnasium and media center and many other distinctive design features," he said.


              According to Mr. Carlo Mantica, COO of the School and project leader for the transaction, the School's outlook as an institution is very positive in the eyes of the financial community. "We have already received expressions of support from Italian business leaders, Italian American leaders and others business and opinion leaders who believe that this unique, new, capacious, fully modern facility will prove to be among the most important Italian educational and cultural institutions outside of Italy, easily the one with the largest body of students studying Italian in the US," he stated, adding "We selected the neighborhood strategically for its transportation access, its proximity to major cultural and educational institutions, and its ideal location in the heart of scores of apartment complexes existing presently and those under construction including large apartment buildings within a short walking distance of the property. It is situated in a major residential growth area."


             

    La Scuola d' Italia was represented by Justin DiMare and Howard Kesseler of NewmarkGrubb Knight Frank. Many other parties were involved in the successful transaction. These include: Nguyen Huynh of Gates Capital Corp. who arranged bond financing, Colosseo Development Group, Inc. and Messrs Alan Kleiman and Allen Roberts of the Epstein Becker Green law firm.
     

              La Scuola's Board of Trustees includes: Comm. Acunto, Chairman, Ms Piera Palazzolo, Vice Chair, Dr Pascal de Caprariis, MD Secretary, Dr Francesca Verga, MD, Thomas Pecora, US Federal Judge Hon. William Martini, New York State Judge, Hon. Dominic Massaro, Dr Bette Talvacchia, PhD, Kim Brizzolara, Baronessa Mariuccia Zerilli Marimo, GianCarlo Bruno and Dr Richard Marotta, PhD.

           
              The School is led administratively by Mr Carlo Mantica, Chief Operating Officer and Dr Maria Palandra, PhD Rector of the School
  • Facts & Stories

    A Brief History of Italian Heritage and Culture Month in New York

    New York’s Italian Heritage and Culture Month will celebrate its thirty-ninth anniversary this year, 2015. The Italian Heritage and Culture Committee of New York, Inc. (IHCC-NY, Inc.) has provided more than three and one half decades of special events, concerts, exhibits, lectures, and proclamations to better inform New York, the largest Italian city outside Italy, and other geographic areas throughout the United States and the world, of the important legacy of Italian and Italian American culture and to celebrate these significant contributions.

    In the spring of 1976 the Mayor of New York City Abraham Beame initiated the first “Italian Culture Week” from May 17 to 23 of that year. The idea was originally brought to the attention of Dr. Leo Bernardo, Director of the City Bureau of Foreign Languages of the Board of Education of the City of New York, and he was easily persuaded of the value and importance of the proposal, appointing Dr. Angelo Gimondo as project coordinator.

    Nine years later, in 1985, the festivities moved to October, to coincide with various Columbus Day celebrations, and grew in duration to become “Italian Heritage and Culture Month.”

    As the years passed, the Governor of the State of New York and the President of the United States joined in acknowledging this significant annual celebration by issuing proclamations in recognition of the heritage and culture of Italians and Italian Americans.

    Dr. Gimondo (honored by the Italian Government on several occasions, including being granted the title of Gran Uff. in the Order of the Star of Solidarity) was the head of the corps of volunteers who annually coordinated the celebration of Italian heritage and culture in the five boroughs of New York.

    His whole-hearted enthusiasm for the project was matched by that of Rosamaria Riccio Pietanza, then-President of the Italian Teachers Association of New York, who, together with him, assembled educators and administrators with an interest in language and culture, many of whom remain involved with the IHCC-NY, Inc.

    In December 2006 Dr. Gimondo retired as founder and president of the IHCC-NY, Inc. after thirty years of outstanding leadership, leaving an important legacy that continues today. He presently serves on the board as a consultant and adviser.

    In January 2007, Cav. Uff. Joseph Sciame, Vice-President for Community Relations at St. John’s University, past president of the national Order Sons of Italy in America, and an IHCC- NY, Inc. Board member for three decades, was elected President/ Chair of the Board of Directors. Under his leadership, the Board of Directors of the IHCC-NY, Inc. continues to be comprised of eminent representatives of New York’s Italian and Italian American community.

    Early on, the organizers conceived of the idea to dedicate each year’s celebration to a specific theme or personality from the history and culture of Italy and Italian Americans. Each year the Board of Directors selects a new theme, commissions a poster, and publishes a Calendar of Events booklet.

    The themes represent some of Italian America’s many significant leaders, concepts, and historical highlights, and a list of them is included below. In addition to its efforts to promote heritage and culture, along with the annual Da Vinci Award ceremonies conferred upon distinguished Italian and Italian Americans, the IHCC-NY, Inc. has in recent years: • sponsored a concert in Washington Square Park in honor of the 100-year anniversary of the birth of Giuseppe Garibaldi; • organized a special anniversary gathering on the occasion of the 200th birthday of Antonio Meucci, inventor of the telephone;

    • mounted an international art exhibit from Palermo, Sicily, of works by Rosa Ponte Fucarino and partnered with the Institute of Classical Architecture and Classical America in the 500th Anniversary Celebration of Andrea Palladio; • supported the efforts of the Italian and Italian American community in promoting the cause of the Advanced Placement exam in Italian language in U.S. high schools; • saluted the lifetime achievements of the late Rocco Caporale, Ph.D., former Board Member; • hosted a special tribute to international playwright Dott. Cav. Mario Fratti for his play and movie Nine; • participated in the annual flag-raising ceremonies at Bowling Green, the site of the arrival of the first Italian to New York, Pietro Cesare Alberti. Commencing in 2010, the October flag-raising has been held at the “Mother Italy” statue at Hunter College, CUNY, NYC, followed by a traditional luncheon to celebrate Italian Heritage and Culture Month with the IHCC’s Board of Directors; • advocated for obtaining an official U.S. Congressional Resolution for the 150th Anniver- sary of the Unification of Italy;

    • welcomed in 2012 an international exhibit from Florence, Italy, honoring Amerigo Vespucci (the year’s theme for Italian Heritage and Culture Month); in October 2012 a bust statue of Vespucci by sculptor Greg Wyatt was unveiled for permanent display at the Organization of American States under the sponsorship of Ambassador Sebastiano Fulci; • celebrated Italian Heritage and Culture Month 2012 at the National Arts Club, with the participation of international singer Cristina Fontanelli; • co-sponsored in December 2012 the famed Presepio at the Staten Island campus of St. John’s University with the Casa Belvedere Foundation.

    The Presepio was a gift to the NY Fire Department by Italian officials of the Chamber of Commerce of Naples following the events of 9/11; and • hosted special ceremonies in March 2013 at the John D. Calandra Italian American Institute to inaugurate the “Poster Series” created by Artistic Director John Battista DeSantis in honor of 2013: Year of Italian Culture in the United States. Several weeks later Ambassador Claudio Bisogniero visited the site to view the posters during an unprecedented stop in New York City.

    The IHCC-NY, Inc.’s role in concert with the Office of the Consulate General, now led by Minister Natalia Quintavalle, as well as with the American Association of Teachers of Italian and the Italian American Committee on Education, has been strengthened over the years in more collaborative ways so as to achieve common goals in education, heritage, culture, language, diplomatic respect, and a better understanding of the Italianità that is so important to the legacy bequeathed to Italian Americans by their families.

    For many years the Consuls General of Italy have each fully supported the efforts of IHCC-NY, as has the Office of the Director of Istituto Italiano di Cultura di New York. Today, owing to the work of the IHCC-NY, Inc., a multitude of programs and events are organized by cultural associations, community centers, libraries, schools, and university departments of Italian in the Greater New York metropolitan area to proudly celebrate October’s Italian Heritage and Culture Month. Moreover, in otherplacessuchasIllinois, Massachusetts, New Jersey, Rhode Island, Washington D.C., Wisconsin, and more, Italian Americans have followed the example of the IHCC-NY, Inc.

    and enhanced activities in their respective areas for the month of October. For the year 2015, the Board of

    Directors of the IHCC-NY, Inc., joining with the theme advocated in Italy, determined that it be appropriate in its role to recognize Italian and Italian Americans, by celebrating the 2015: year of Italian Creativity: Celebrating 50 Years of Science and Technology; New York World’s Fair 1965 – Expo Milano 2015,acknowledging the achievements and great accomplishments of Italy and its gifts of science and technology to the world, and more specifically to the United States. In a true Italian spirit of enterprise, energy and enthusiasm, Italians and Italian Americans can be saluted and hailed in special ways.
     

    Indeed, the legacy lives on! During the course of the year 2014-15, the Board of Directors continued its tradition at the MotherItaly --Statuewithits various recognitions, and for the October 2014 Columbus Day weekend saluted Board Member Distinguished Professor Cav. Anthony Julian Tamburri, Ph.D., Dean, Calandra Institute, for his lifetime professional, ethnic and cultural achievements, while over the 2015 Mother’s Day weekend, the Board recognized the work of Minister Natalia Quintavalle, Consul General of Italy to New York.

    What follows is a chronological listing representing the array of themesdesignatedthroughout more than three and one half decades to celebrate the Italian Heritage and Culture Month.

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