Italian conductor Alvise Casellati is bringing his unique and popular Opera Italiana is in the Air to Washington, D.C. for the first time. Maestro Casellati is the founder and music director of Opera Italiana is in the Air, an organization he created in 2017 to follow his dream of connecting new and diverse audiences to bring Italian opera back to where it belongs: pop music. The group is offering a free concert entitled Rebuild Harmony on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, which will take place this this Saturday, June 4th, 2022 from 6:30 – 8:00 PM.
This event is significant for two reasons, as fans of Italian opera will be able to celebrate the music during the week of the National Day of Italy, as well as honor the 100th year anniversary of the Lincoln Memorial, which was established in 1922.
This concert by Opera Italiana is in the Air is part of the group’s mission to find new and innovative ways to expose younger, more diverse audiences to opera. It is transforming the opera experience and making the beauty of opera accessible and enjoyable to everyone by bringing concerts out of the world’s fanciest concert halls and into the open air.
Maestro Casellati’s aim is to bring top professionals in the industry together with young musicians and composers to create high-quality outdoor concerts that are modern, diverse, informal, fun, and free. Until now, the maestro has taken his special performances to New York, Miami, Rome, Naples and Milan to showcase Italian opera, this year a candidate for UNESCO World Heritage. Casellati is also the Founder and President of the Venetian Community of New York and has served as Managing Director of the Foundation for Italian Art and Culture in New York.
“After more than two years of isolation and restrictions due to the pandemic, and now an international conflict, we need to ‘Rebuild Harmony’ and focus on hope, humanity, and healing,” says Maestro Casellati. “I hope that the joy and beauty of Italian opera will bring an injection of positive energy to the audience at this iconic American venue and symbol of freedom, equality and dignity of the people.”
Family-friendly events this summer in Washington, D.C. and New York City will explore the joy of music, featuring the work of artists, including Jordan Millar, a 15-year-old composer from Brooklyn, NY whose music has already ‘wowed the New York Philharmonic’, Paloma Dineli Chesky, a 14-year-old composer who will sing her “Peace in all Worlds”, and special guest stars of this event will be acclaimed soprano Jennifer Rowley and internationally known tenor Arturo Chacón Cruz.
Opera Italiana is in the Air is presented under the patronage of the Embassy of Italy to the United States and the Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights Italia. This event is made possible through the generous contribution of Intesa Sanpaolo, GKSD Investment Holding, the Alexander Bodini Foundation, BEL Real Estate, ENI, the National American Italian Foundation (NIAF), Ferrero North America, and the Foundation for Italian Art & Culture (FIAC).
www.operaitalianaisintheair.com
Opera Italiana in the Air Trailer
