Events & Activities

Music, Art, and Dance

Photo Exhibit: "Calabria com'era." (Calabria as it was.) by Antonio Toscano
Opens Sept 13 with an artist's reception from 3:00-5:00 pm at the Casa.
The exhibit runs through November 12.

Sweeping Technicolor vistas of rugged mountains, cliffside villages, and crystal clear seas. These are the picture-postcard images of Calabria, the still unspoiled region at the toe of the boot of Italy.

But there are other, more personal images of Calabria: family snapshots, portraits of villagers, landscapes, and local events. And you can see them in a remarkable exhibit called "Through My Father's Eyes" by award-winning photographer Antonio Toscano.

Born in 1922 in the seaside town of Rocella Jonica, Antonio's father, Nicola Toscano, captured Calabrese life in hundreds of photographs. When he died in 1962, Antonio became curator of his father's collection. In 2001, while on sabbatical from his teaching job at RIT, Antonio digitized the negatives for the Web. Shot on black and white film with an old Rolleiflex, this multi-layered collection captures a time and a place that few of us ever get to see.

Antonio Toscano is an internationally renowned photographer, and an Associate Professor of Art and Imaging Studies at RIT.

Antonio will also give a talk on the exhibit, September 24 at 7:00 pm, also at the Casa.

Presentation & Exhibit: The Presepio Collection, with John Larish.
November 1 at 2 pm at the Casa Italiana.

Two glowing figures pray over a bowl-shaped manger. They are highly stylized, made of heavy, topaz-colored glass and flanked by figurines of barn animals. This is the jewel in the crown of John Larish's collection—a nativity scene from Venice made of Murano glass. John has spent the last 50 years collecting more than 100 "presepi", or nativity scenes, from around the world. He will share some of his pieces at a special holiday presentation at Casa Italiana on November 1.

The "presepio" originated in the 1200's with St. Francis of Assisi, who had a creche built in a natural cave, complete with a straw-filled manager and farm animals. Presepi are found in virtually every household in Italy, depicting biblical characters, angels, and people from every day life. But they are not just limited to Italy. Made of everything from glass to wood to papier mache, almost every country that celebrates Christmas has some form of nativity scene.

John began collecting presepi while in the service. He says, "I tried to find creches in every country I visited. It's fascinating to see how different parts of the world see the Holy Family in their own images and costumes." An alumnus of Dayton University, John donated his collection there in 2005. John's favorite creche is from Spain—made of Lladro porcelain from Valencia.

Join us for presepi and refreshments as we celebrate the spirit of Natale!

Art Exhibit: Karen Sardisco.
Opens November 15 with an artist's talk at 2:30 pm at the Casa followed by a reception from 3:00-5:00 pm.
The exhibit runs through Friday, January 8, 2010.

Twigs and rosebuds. Swirling patterns and drips of color. Shapes remiscent of wishbones, knots and ropes—what do these suggest about the true nature of things? That is the question artist Karen Sardisco poses in her work. Using mixed media such as acrylics paints, conte crayon, and pastels, Karen uses simple forms from nature to "convey the energies that hum beneath the day-to-day surface of things."

Karen, a working artist and professor of fine arts at Monroe Community College, says that art is a visual conversation that helps her connect with issues that are important to her. "I believe that as a vehicle for transformation, art is revelatory," she says. "I like to force forms together that may not seem to have much of a connection. I want my audience to try to piece together what the relationships may be."

Karen received a B.S. in Art Education from SUNY College at Buffalo, and an MFA in Painting from Rochester Institute of Technology's School of Art and Design. She is a practicing artist whose recent exhibitions include the 51st Chautauqua National Exhibition, and the First Rochester Biennial at the Memorial Art Gallery, Rochester, NY. Her work is included in many public and private collections.

Save the date! December 19, 2009
The Empire State Lyric Theatre, in cooperation with the Casa Italiana, is proud to present a second concert highlighting the beauty of Italian opera for the Casa and Rochester community to enjoy.

Conductor Raffaele Ponti will lead the orchestra, which features Susan Cotroneo, soprano, and pianist Isabelle Aubin.

Watch your mail for more information to come on this musical event or call the Casa Italiana at (585) 389-2468.

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Come and Play Bocce!

The Casa Italiana invites you to play bocce at the Dominic J. Parrone Bocce Court located in the Casa's courtyard. For information or to reserve the court, please call the Casa at 585-389-2468.

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Film Series

The Fall 2009 Film Series will consist of a variety of fine music-centered films shown Sunday afternoons at 4:00 PM in the Casa Italiana. The third presentation, Renzo Arbore's 2005 Concert in Piazza del Popolo in Rome, will be shown in room A14 of the Nazareth Art Center directly across from the Casa. The series is free of charge and open to the public.

Presented by Frank Lanzafame, Ph.D.

Melodie Eterne The Life of Mozart in His Eternal Melodies (1940)
Directed by Carmine Gallone
Sunday, September 27, 2009 at 4:00 p.m. (103 min.)
In Italian with English subtitles

Eternal Melodies is a biography of Mozart starring Gino Cervi as Mozart and directed by opera film specialist Carmine Gallone. This film starts with the discovery of Mozart's first composition by his father, followed by the introduction of young Mozart to the imperial family of Austria. The plot is devoted to Mozart's relationship with the Weber sisters as the film follows him from early years to great success. The film ends with his death bed composition of the Requiem. Similar in some respects to the 1984 film Amadeus, this black and white film is a more focused biography with considerably less fictional embellishment such as the relationship between Mozart and Salieri.

Farinelli: il Castrato Farinelli (1994)
Directed by Gerard Corbiau
Sunday October 11, 2009 at 4:00 p.m. (111 min.)
In Italian and French with English subtitles

This is the story of Carlo Broschi (1705-82), known as Farinelli, who was the most famous Castrato of his age. Together with his composer brother Riccardo, the two traveled Europe with Carlo singing the compositions of Riccardo. Women would swoon over the beauty and power of his voice, and the brothers would share the conquest. An interesting aspect of the film is the long-running feud between Riccardo and Handel who once told him, "Without your brother, you are nothing but silence"). Carlo's powerfully beautiful voice is a computer synchronized blend of countertenor, Derek Lee Ragin, and Polish mezzo-soprano, Godlewska. The film contains Italian and French dialogue and won a Golden Globe as Best Foreign Language Film of 1994. This exceptionally beautiful film is rated R for depiction of adult themes and sexuality.

Renzo Arbore - Finalmente Live Finally Live (2005)
Directed by Renzo Arbore
Sunday October 25, 2009 at 4:00 p.m. (121 min.)
Italian / Neapolitan Music with NO English subtitles

The night of June 28, 2005, Renzo Arbore and L'Orchestra Italiana performed a magnificent concert in Piazza del Popolo, Roma, before 150,000 people. We will enjoy most of this 151 min. concert with those who were in attendance as Arbore presented a collection of Neapolitan and Roman favorites including Luna Rossa, Voce 'E Notte, Dicitencello Vuje, Malafemmena, Comme Facette Mammeta, 'O Surdato 'Nnammurato, Tanto Pe' Canta', and Reginella. It is quite an experience to watch the audience of all ages singing along with L'Orchestra Italiana composed of 16 of the best multi-talented musicians playing popular Italian music today. Arbore's style is a delightful blend of Classic Neapolitan Folk with elements of Latin and Jazz.
This will be shown in Room A14 of the Nazareth Art Center, directly opposite the Casa Italiana.

Rossini (1942)
Directed by Mario Bonnard
Sunday November 8, 2009 at 4:00 p.m. (95 min.)
In Italian with English subtitles

"Rossini" is an appealing biography of the great operatic composer, marked by a vivacious sense of comedy and spitfire vocal passages. The film is set in 1815 through 1829, the early years of his success throughout Europe. Rossini was played by Nino Besozzi, a prolific performer in Italian fascist cinema, who does a creditable job, particularly with the film's many lighter moments. Contributing to the pleasure of the film is the large number of excerpts from his many works including "The Barber of Seville" (the story of its premiere and the partisans who tried to interfere with its performance). Some of the best moments are provided by Armando Falconi as bubbly enthusiast King Ferdinand I of Naples and Camillo Pilotto as the impresario. The bass Tancredi Passero does a fabulous rendition of the "La Calunnia" from "Barber". Particularly touching is the melancholy encounter between the roaringly successful Rossini and the now deaf Beethoven in which the German composer rues his fate while praising the Italian's comic gift. It is a powerful and mysteriously haunting sequence. (by G. DeLuca)

Allegro Non Troppo (1976)
Directed by Bruno Bozzetto
Sunday November 22, 2009 at 4:00 p.m. (85 min.)
In Italian with English subtitles

"Allegro Non Troppo" is an Italian parody of Disney's Fantasia, featuring a unique orchestra (filmed in black and white), a slave animator (the Italian comedian Maurizio Nichetti) and an angry director. The live action part is filled with humor, relying mostly on visual gags and on the exceptional mimicry of Nichetti. This movie is a masterpiece, showing the best work of Italian animators. Debussy's Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun presents the sad story of an aging satyr. Ravel's Bolero is used for a fascinating piece on the origin of life on earth. The story of evolution from lowest forms to complex ones is seen as a violent tale of survival, as obsessive as Ravel's music. Another fine piece is the incredibly sad Sibelius' Valse Triste, about a cat remembering his better days. Other animated pieces include the Concerto in C Minor by Vivaldi, Dvorak's Slavonic dance, and Stravinsky's Firebird. "Allegro Non Troppo" is imaginative, mature, and technically impressive. This is animation at its best.

Pizzicata (1996)
Directed by Eduardo Winspeare
Sunday December 6, 2009 at 4:00 p.m. (95 min.)
In Italian with English subtitles

This film is beautifully photographed in the Salento region of southern Puglia with groves of majestic olive trees. It shows a peasant agrarian life as a family hides an Italo-American pilot shot down in 1943. The pilot speaks the native dialect and hides himself as a cousin. He falls in love with one of the three girls in the home. Aside from the photography, the music anthology of local folk songs and instrumental music is excellent. The director took great pains to maintain the authenticity of local dialect, music, expressions, farming methods, social structures, and costumes. He has included a number of regional dances: the pizzica, a sensual dance of courtship in which men and women gesture seductively, but never touch; the pizzica scherma in which two men confront each other in a danced duel; and the tarantata, a frenzied dance of loss and grief performed in the square in front of St. Paul's Church. The tarantata has its origins in women (tarantolati) who are said to have been bitten by a tarantula. The poison from the bite is eliminated by dancing, sometimes for hours or even days.

For more information on this film series, see Frank Lanzafame's website: http://home.rochester.rr.com/flanzafame/Films-S09.htm

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Holidays and Social Events

Join us for an Open House all'Italiana!
Come and sample authentic Italian food, play a game of bocce in our bocce court, and enjoy an afternoon of beautiful Italian music!

Thursday, September 17, 3:30-5:00 p.m.
Casa Italiana LeChase Lounge and Courtyard
Free and open to the public

A joint program of Casa Italiana and Nazareth College Department of Modern Foreign Languages and Literatures-Italian.

Join us for the Social Committee Card Party Luncheon
Monday, October 5, 2009 at 11:00 a.m.
Midvale Country Club
2387 Baird Road
Penfield, NY 14526

There will be plenty of door prizes and raffles. Even if you don't play cards, join us for an exquisite lunch and afternoon of fun.

Tickets sell fast for this well-attended event. Cost is $25 per person. For reservations or more information, contact chairperson Arline Liberti at (585) 671-5713.

E' Natale alla Casa!
Social Committee Christmas Brunch

Sunday, December 6 at 11:00 a.m.
Midvale Country Club
2387 Baird Road
Penfield, NY 14526

Adults and children are invited to this joyous occasion. The children will be thrilled by face painting, a visit from jolly old Santa Claus, and the traditional story of La Befana: the old woman who is still searching for the Christ child, who leaves sweets and chocolates in the stockings of well-behaved children.

For reservations or more information, contact chairperson Margaret Zanghi at (585) 377-7291.

Supported by the Sam and Rose Spoleta Fund.

Christmas Season Mass in Italian
Join us for the Annual Casa Italiana Christmas Season Mass in Italian

Sunday, December 13 at 11:00 a.m.
Celebrated by Fr. Michael Costanzo
Linehan Chapel at Golisano Academic Center on the Nazareth College campus,
4245 East Avenue.

A reception will follow the Mass.
Chaired by Bruna Furgiuele.
Open to the public.

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Gift Ideas from the Casa Italiana

Keep the spirit of the Italian heritage alive among your family and friends with these special gifts ideas from the Casa Italiana.

Consider giving a family member or a friend a membership to the Casa Italiana. Your loved one will receive a beautifully wrapped box with a note card acknowledging your thoughtfulness. Their membership entitles them to receive news about the Casa Italiana's programs as well as discounts on some programs and classes offered in the coming year.
Is there someone in the family who is interested in learning Italian? Surprise them with a gift certificate for an Italian class. They will learn in a relaxed, supportive atmosphere. Give the gift of education — a gift that will stay with them forever

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Casa Italiana Reading Room

Per gli appasionati della letteratura italian... For all lovers of Italian literature...

Interested in brushing up on your Italian grammar?
Want to know more about Italian history or art?
Itching to read some of the greatest literature ever written — in its original language?

The Casa Italiana Reading Room is waiting for you. Come visit us and spend an afternoon in the quiet comfort of the Reading Room, browsing through our large collection of Italian language books and the latest magazines from Italy. Stop in, expand your mind and relax with a good book.

The Casa Italiana Reading Room is open to all members of the community, Monday through Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

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Conferences, Symposia, Seminars

As an educational resource, The Casa Italiana has been the setting for special programs on topics of Italian history and culture. Past conferences have included a semester-long series of events highlighting the unique character and artistic and literary accomplishments of Italy's Jewish community, a series on the social, economic, political and artistic life of contemporary Italy, and a month of programs on The Glory that is Sicily.

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Trips

Join Us for a Trip To Italy!
Tentative Dates:
June 24 — July 5, 2010

An informational meeting will be held November 18 at 5:30 p.m. at the Casa Italiana. A $250 deposit will be collected to reserve your spot. Space is limited. Call the Casa Italiana for more information at 585-389-2468.