There are more than a thousand reasons to stop by Central Park, especially in the summer, but next Monday there’s one additional reason and it’s called “Opera Italiana is in the air”.
The annual event “Opera Italiana is in the air”, was launched in Central Park on July 2017 and it’s a collection of free outdoor concerts taking place in different US cities to promote Italian Opera among young people.
This year’s edition takes place at the Naumburg Bandshell in Central Park, the nearly one hundred year old amphitheater, a venue well suited to host informal and cozy performances, and a place that has seen many classical concerts as well as a speech by Martin Luther King Jr.
The concert is 90 minutes long and will have selected pieces from Rossini’s, Verdi’s and Puccini’s arias which will be sung by tenor Antonio Poli and by soprano Maria Mudryak, who will play together for the first time.
Highly anticipated is also the performance of eleven year old singer and composer Paloma Dineli Chesky from the New York City Philharmonic.
Conductor Alvise Casellati will lead the symphonic orchestra and a variety of musicians from the MET Opera, students from the prestigious Juilliard, and musicians from the Manhattan School of Music, as well as the Mannes School of Music.
“We are honoured and excited to bring Opera Italiana is in the Air to Central Park and New Yorkers for the third year running. It’s a one-of-a-kind performance featuring a superb lineup of master musicians and world class Italian opera with the aim of sharing a unique and magical part of Italian culture with the city”, says Alvise Casellati. “Our mission is to make opera accessible to everyone, especially young people, in a fun and relaxed environment. I hope the enchanting arias and beautiful voices will give the audience an unforgettable experience and make them fall in love with Italian opera.”
Antonio Poli is one of the most esteemed tenors of his generation who has already worked in well known productions: Verdi’s Requiem, in the 2018/2019 season, with conductor Juraj Valcucha first at the Berlin Konzerthaus and then at the San Carlo theater of Naples. He also debuted with La Clemenza di Tito at the Teatro del Maggio Musicale in Florence with conductor Federico Maria Sardelli.
The 25 year old soprano, Maria Mudryak is another young talented artist who has already played roles such as Violetta in La Traviata, Mimì in La Bohème and Liù in Turandot on some of the most important stages of the world.
Paloma Dineli Chesky, student of the Professional Performing Arts School in Manhattan, will kick off the classical concert this coming Monday, July 1st, with a piece named “Rising” that she composed herself and performed for the first time last April at the David Geffen Hall of Lincoln Center with conductor Jaap van Zweden.
Opera Italiana is in the Air is made possible through the generous support of its event sponsors, including Intesa Sanpaolo, The Alexander Bodini Foundation, Bel Real Estate Group, Brooks Brothers, ENI, FIAC, Air Italy, San Benedetto Water, Bracco Diagnostics, Inc., Mela Holding Group, Sky Network, Medinvest, Urbani Truffles, MSC Mediterranean Shipping Company, Candoni De Zan, Eurowind, ‘O Magazine, Santa Margherita Wines, The Edoardo & Antonella Salvati Foundation, and with the support of the Consulate General of Italy in New York and the Cultural Institute of New York.
For more info: www.operaitalianaisintheair.com
