February 10
- Casa Italiana Zerilli-Marimò – Monday, February 10, 2025 – 6:00 pm
Baroque Dreaming Into Contemporary Opera
Join us for an exclusive panel delving into the creative journey behind Primero Sueño, the groundbreaking operatic adaptation of Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz’s iconic poem. Featuring co-creators composer Paola Prestini and jazz icon Magos Herrera, this discussion offers a rare behind-the-scenes look at how Sor Juana’s profound exploration of mysticism, feminism, and the natural world was transformed into a mesmerizing operatic procession through the sacred spaces of The Met Cloisters. The panel will include select footage from the production, showcasing Herrera’s powerful portrayal of Sor Juana alongside the Leipzig-based vocal ensemble Sjaella and a team of world-class multi-instrumentalists, directed by visionary arts leader Louisa Proske.
February 11
- Casa Italiana Zerilli-Marimò – Tuesday, February 11, 2025 – 6:30 pm
Trio KANON: “Timeless Dialogues”
The Trio Kanon invites you on a journey through time and sound, exploring the profound dialogue between past and present, tradition and innovation. This concert program weaves together the lyrical elegance of Mendelssohn, the virtuosic brilliance of Fritz Kreisler, and the contemporary voice of Roberto Scarcella Perino, creating an engaging musical conversation that transcends centuries.
February 13
- Casa Italiana Zerilli-Marimò – Thursday, February 13, 2025 – 7:00 pm
Forgotten Gems with Joshua Cohen
Forgotten Gems is a series that takes place at Casa Italiana as part of the literary festival Le Conversazioni that focuses on films that the speakers believe worthy of being [re]discovered. Antonio Monda and his guest each choose three films to present and discuss (accompanied by clips). This season’s third guest is author Joshua Cohen. - Istituto Italiano di Cultura NY – Thursday, February 13, 2025 – 6:00 pm
Painting in New York- Mostra
La prima mostra personale di Lorenzo Puglisi a New York aprirà presso l’Istituto Italiano di Cultura di Park Avenue il 17 gennaio alle 17:30. La mostra, dal titolo Painting in New York, è presentata dal Direttore dell’Istituto Fabio Finotti e curata dal critico d’arte Guicciardo Sassoli De Bianchi. Esibirà una selezione di opere create appositamente per l’evento durante il soggiorno dell’artista nella città.
Visibile fino al 14 febbraio, l’esposizione mette in luce la visione iconografica e lo stile inconfondibile dell’artista. Le potenti e suggestive figure di Puglisi emergono da sfondi scuri, un’estetica che lo ha reso noto negli ultimi anni. I suoi soggetti misteriosi, accompagnati da pennellate uniche nei toni del bianco e del rosso, fanno finalmente il loro debutto negli Stati Uniti, grazie all’Istituto Italiano di Cultura. Questa mostra continua a promuovere lo scambio artistico tra l’Italia e gli Stati Uniti.
February 18
- Casa Italiana Zerilli-Marimò – Tuesday, February 18, 2025 – 6:00 pm
Vivaldi and…
At the beginning of the Settecento, Venice was one of two leading musical centers in Italy (Rome the other). Charles Burney called the Venetian school ‘a light and irregular troop’ – including Antonio Vivaldi and Carlo Tessarini. Vivaldi, Rossini, Donizetti, Verdi, Catalani, Respighi: let’s hear the composers we know and love. But what of their contemporaries who are not household names? How do their works compare to those of the greats? Come listen to beloved favorites – balanced by lesser-known works – for an exhilarating exploration of Italian music this Spring.
February 19
- Casa Italiana Zerilli- Marimò – Wednesday, February 19, 2025 – 5:00 pm
Plays / Performances
The Italian theater landscape features several major players, including Piccolo Teatro and Teatro dell’Elfo in Milan, Teatro Argentina and Teatro India in Rome, among others. These iconic institutions have long been at the forefront of Italian theatrical excellence. At the same time, smaller companies and organizations play an equally, if not more, vital role in fostering innovation by presenting new theater, fresh ideas, and experimental languages. Our focus will center on playwrights and performances that emphasize collaboration, highlighting works that involve multiple actors or ensembles, showcasing the richness and diversity of collective storytelling on the Italian stage.
February 21
- Istituto Italiano di Cultura NY – Friday, February 21, 2025 – 6:00 pm – 7:30 pm
Samuel Vaccaro. Concerto di chitarra classica
Samuel Vaccaro nasce a Caltagirone ed è un giovanissimo Maestro di chitarra classica, concertista internazionale, vincitore di numerosissimi primi premi nazionali e internazionali.
February 24
- Casa Italiana Zerilli-Marimò – Monday, February 24, 2025 – 5:00 pm
Sei come sei
Casa Italiana hosts this book club online on the Zoom platform to discuss contemporary Italian books in Italian. The Club is open to anyone and its purpose is to offer the possibility to practice the Italian language. Everybody is encouraged to speak. The group suggests the books, usually by contemporary Italian authors, that reflect the changes that have taken place with time in the language and customs. The discussion is informal. - Casa Italiana Zerilli-Marimò – Monday, February 24, 2025 – 6:30 pm
Metamorphoses
On the occasion of his visiting professorship at NYU in Spring 2025, Italian philosopher and EHESS Professor Emanuele Coccia joins NYU Professor Eugenio Refini for a conversation around the concept of metamorphosis across philosophy and literature. In his 2021 book, Metamorphoses, Coccia sees metamorphosis not just as a biological process, but as the fundamental force that binds all life together. Challenging the rigid boundaries between species, the living and the non-living, and even human identity, Coccia presents a visionary perspective in which life is an ever-changing continuum, where transformation is not the exception but the rule. His book invites readers to reconsider existence as deeply interconnected, revealing a world in which every form of life is a continuation of those that came before. To what extent does this approach to metamorphosis speak to relevant concerns in the production and study of literary discourse?
February 25
- Casa Italiana Zerilli-Marimò – Tuesday, February 25, 2025 – 6:00 pm
Rossini and…
“What Makes It Italian?” is a music listening and discussion group that meets online on the Zoom platform and is open to everyone.
Participation is free.The group is led by Gina Crusco, who has also guided listening at Bard LLI and Riverdale Y; acted as maestro del coro for opera in Italy; instructed music at The New School; and directed Underworld Productions.
February 27
- Casa Italiana Zerilli-Marimò – Thursday, February 27, 2025 – 6:30 pm
Dino Risi’s “Il giovedì”
Dino Versini, a separated father, obtains a judge’s permission to spend one day a week with his son. Every Thursday, Dino picks up Robertino in his flashy sports car, eager to impress him and hide from the boy the failures of his life. However, Dino’s brash manners and high-society friends fail to convince the child. After a disastrous trip to the seaside, during which Dino’s lover leaves him, and a visit to the grandmother’s house, an encounter with an industrialist further ruins the father’s already shaky reputation. At the end of the day, after returning his son to his ex-wife, Dino is left to call his lover to beg for forgiveness.
