The Italian Cultural Institute of New York Partners with Carnegie Hall for the Festival United in Sound: America at 250
Five Italian musical initiatives promoted by the Italian Cultural Institute of New York have been included in the official program of Carnegie Hall’s festival “United in Sound: America at 250,” celebrating the 250th anniversary of the United States. In keeping with the festival’s theme, the projects supported by the Institute highlight the influence of Italian music in the United States and the deep cultural and musical ties that have shaped more than two centuries of relations between Italy and America.
“The partnership with Carnegie Hall represents a milestone for the Italian Cultural Institute of New York,” said Director Claudio Pagliara. “As we approach the 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States, these programs aim to celebrate the long-standing friendship between the Italian and American peoples, while encouraging reflection on the importance of transatlantic ties, both past and present.”
Program:
1. May 8, 6:00 PM – Italian Cultural Institute of New York –
Concert by Trio Hermes: Italy and America in Dialogue: Pizzetti, Castelnuovo-Tedesco, Bernstein. The trio — composed of Ginevra Bassetti (violin), Francesca Giglio (cello), and Greta Maria Lobefaro (piano) — will perform works by three composers whose music embodies an intense transatlantic dialogue: Pizzetti, deeply rooted in the Italian tradition, lyricism, and counterpoint; Castelnuovo-Tedesco, who was forced to emigrate to the United States in 1939 because of the Fascist racial laws, bringing with him a Mediterranean sensibility that would later influence Hollywood; and Bernstein, an American composer shaped by European and Italian models, reinterpreted through a distinctly American sensibility.
2. May 15, 6:00 PM – Italian Cultural Institute of New York – Opening of the exhibition Sicily 1954: The Musical Journey of Alan Lomax and Diego Carpitella. The exhibition — on view through May 31 — features photographs, videos, and recordings collected by the American and Italian pioneers of ethnomusicology during their 1954 research trip to Sicily. Speakers will include Sergio Bonanzinga (University of Palermo), Anna Lomax Wood (Association for Cultural Equity), Jo Ann Cavallo (Columbia University), and Joseph Sciorra (John D. Calandra Italian American Institute).
3. May 29, 7:30 PM – The Players, 16 Gramercy Park South, New York – Concert Nick La Rocca & His Brothers” with the Some Like It Hot Jazz Band. Featuring Luca Velotti (clarinet and saxophones, musical director), Rossano Sportiello (piano), James Cirillo (guitar), Jon-Erik Kellso (trumpet), Harvey Tibbs (trombone), Neal Miner (double bass), Kevin Dorn (drums), and Imani Rousselle (vocals). The concert celebrates the origins of jazz and the contribution of Italian and Italian American musicians to American music. In February 1917, the Original Dixieland Jass Band, led by Sicilian American cornetist Nick La Rocca, recorded what is widely regarded as the first jazz record in history.
4. June 5, 6:00 PM – Italian Cultural Institute of New York – Opening of the exhibition Enrico Caruso: From Naples to New York. A central figure in music history, Enrico Caruso embodies through both his artistic and personal story the history of Italian emigration and its cultural impact in the United States. The opening event will include a screening of the documentary “Enrico Caruso, The Greatest Singer in the World,” curated by Giuliana Muscio. The exhibition — previously presented at the National Archaeological Museum of Naples in 2022 and now on view in New York for the first time — includes photographs, videos, and sound materials, and will remain open through August 31.
5. June 19, 6:00 PM – Italian Cultural Institute of New York Screening of Giuseppe Tornatore’s documentary Ennio. A tribute to Ennio Morricone, whose film scores helped shape the imagination of American cinema. The screening will be introduced by a video message from director Giuseppe Tornatore.
