Celebrating the Neapolitan Presepio
A Christmas Tradition in the Italian American Community
A lecture by Anita Sanseverino & Lou Barrella
This lecture and video presentation explores the origins of the Neapolitan tradition as well as its endurance by creative artisans who display their art, both of old and of today. Photographs in the shops of Via San Gregorio Armeno in Naples, at the Metropolitan Museum of Art and in churches and homes throughout the Metropolitan area provide a variety of expression that keeps the Presepio a vibrant symbol of Christmas.
Appropriate music sung by Renata Tebaldi, Luciano Pavarotti and Andrea Bocelli among others, will enhance your visual enjoyment.
Louis Barrella received his M.A. in Music Education from Brooklyn College in 1975 and has promoted Music, Opera and Italian Culture for 50 years, making numerous presentations at colleges, museums and cultural institutions, including Casa Belvedere. In 2003, he received the Dr. Leonard Covello Lifetime Achievement Award from The Italian Teachers’ Association for his outstanding contributions to Italian culture. Louis Barrella has been a dedicated Music Educator for 50 years, specializing in Music and Opera Appreciation in schools and for many Cultural Organizations. Most importantly, he has given workshops and organized student trips for the Education Department of the Metropolitan Opera Guild for over 40 years and continues to do so.
He is a Board Member of the Enrico Caruso Museum, a regular presenter at the Mario Lanza Luncheons, a Co-Host at the Columbus Citizens’ Foundation Opera Nights; organizes Opera Luncheons & Dinners at Casa Belvedere in Staten Island, conducts an Opera Class at the Garibaldi Meucci Museum in S.I. and is currently making presentations for the Opera at Florham audiences (Farleigh Dickinson University).
He has promoted Italian Heritage & Culture by making presentations on the Neapolitan Presepio, Carnevale di Venezia, the Festa di San Giuseppe, the Risorgimento, the Life & Times of Giuseppe Verdi; and has celebrated the culture, music, scenic beauty and culinary delights of the regions of Italy.
Anita Sanseverino is an award-winning photographer dedicated to the subject of Italy. Her photographs uniquely capture the beauty, emotion, and character of the country’s landscapes, cities, villages, and cultural traditions. In addition to exhibiting her photographs of Italy, Ms. Sanseverino’s work has expanded to include lecturing about her diverse photographic series. Her lectures offer a broad historical knowledge of traditions and images and provide a wealth of insight about the political, cultural, social, and economic history that has shaped the country of her heritage.
With a passionate eye and studied knowledge of Italy, Sanseverino’s photographs uniquely capture the beauty, emotion and character of the country’s landscapes, cities, villages and cultural traditions – from the religious devotion of patron saint festivals, the Presepio Napoletano, and the celebrated Carnevale of Venezia to the haunting gnarled olive groves of the Puglia region.
Sanseverino has exhibited her photographs at the Tuscia Arts Festival in Viterbo, Italy, the Columbus Citizens Foundation, and Queens College in New York. She has presented her photographs and lectures about the Presepio Napoletano and the Carnevale di Venezia, at the Italian American Museum, Casa Belvedere Italian Cultural Center, Westchester Italian Cultural Center, The Garibaldi Meucci Museum, Ramapo College, Wagner College in New York, as well as at various Italian American organization throughout the tri-state area. Her work has been featured in BRIDGE Apulia-USA Magazine, highlighting the unique beauty of the Puglia region of Italy.
She has been interviewed by various newspapers in the New York City area, and by television and radio programs promoting Italian culture. Chuck Scarborough of NBC TV interviewed her about her exhibit and lecture on the Venetian Carnival.
Reservation no longer available