Italian Opera Celebrating
the Centennial of Enrico
Caruso's American Debut
Wednesday, October 22, 2003
City Hall Chambers, New York, NY
Manhattan Borough President, C. Virginia Fields, and the Italian Heritage and Culture Committee of New York hosted its annual celebration of Italian Heritage and Culture Month with a Proclamation Ceremony, 
concert and reception at City Hall on October 22, at 6 p.m. All the honorees were dedicated to Italian culture and the enrichment of the cultural life of New York. Apropos
of this year's theme "Italian Opera; Celebrating the Centennial of Enrico Caruso's American Debut", all the honorees were opera related:
Lucine Aniara, internationally acclaimed opera singer, Michael Capasso, Founder and General Director, Dicapo Opera Theatre; Cay. Uff. Aldo Mancusi, Founder and Curator of the Enrico Caruso Museum of America; and Mary Jane Phillips-Matz, noted author and lecturer on opera related subjects. Two tenors, Giuseppe Taorimina and Peter Buchi with their respective piano accompanists, Thomas Siklos and Mario Parrella, who came from Italy to join Mr. Buchi for this event, performed. Ms. Nancy Indelicato, Italian Heritage and Culture Committee of New York, Board of Directors, and its Manhattan Coordinator was overall coordinator of the event.
The Manhattan Borough President, C. Virginia Fields, has hosted this very popular annual celebration for the past six years, bringing diverse groups together through culture. The Italian Heritage and Culture Committee of New York is celebrating its 27th year with a full calendar of events.
The first known opera, Euridice, was performed in Italy in 600 for the wedding of Henry IV of France and Marie de Medici at the Pitti Palace, Florence. Opera is actually the shortened term for "opera in music", a work set to music. Through the ages opera flourished under Monteverdi, Gabrielli, Bononcini, Rossini, Bellini, Donizetti, Verdi, Puccini, Leoncavallo and Mascagni. Among decades of accomplished Italian singers, Enrico Caruso was the most famous tenor of his era, debuting at the Metropolitan Opera on November 23, 1903. Caruso is a vivid example of the contribution of Italians to world culture.
Lucine Amara has sung in over 1000 operatic performances, appeared in the movie "The Great Caruso" with Mario Lanza and has made various recordings. Michael Capasso built the theatre in which he directs and produces high caliber performances, accessible to the public, and inspires the next generation with his student programs. Cav. Uff, Aldo Mancusi Museum began with his father's record collection and a love for music, which has grown into preserving the legacy of Enrico Caruso through concerts and the museum, which includes a theatre with seats from the old Met. Mary Jane Phillips-Matz has written authoritative works on the Italian composers Verdi and Puccini and many other scholarly works.
Mr. Taorimina has performed all over Italy, Europe and the United States. He has recorded three albums and a recent CD "King of High C". Mr. Sikios is an accomplished pianist, who tours nationally. Mr. Buchi's is a twice career award winner from the Sergio Franchi Foundation, was featured in the Sons of Italy 100th anniversary international tour in 2005, and his CD "My Whole Heart-Tenor Torch Songs and Arias" is about to be released. Mr. Parrella was the youngest artist ever accepted at the Verdi Conservatory of Music, Milan, at age 6 yrs, and has been a coach and conductor at La Scala.
For more information about events sponsored by the Italian Heritage and Culture Committee of New York, Inc., please feel free to log onto their website, at www.italianculturemonth.org.
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Leonora Volpe is a Prima Ballerina, and also the President of the Metropolitan Repertory Ballet. She has studied in England and the USA, and has written for different magazines and publications throughout the U.S.A., danced throughout the world at such venues as Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, Tribeca Center for the Performing Arts, and many others. Leonora will be writing about all kinds of dance events, performances, entertainment, concerts, benefits, galas, cultural events, and interviews with well-known people throughout the arts business. For more information, contact Leonora at lnlvolpe@hadofnyc.org
If you are interested in having us cover one of your events, feel free to notify us one week in advance, so we can add you to our master calendar, and have our Liberty News Staff come and write an article about your event. Feel free to email us at lnevents@hadofnyc.org, or telephone us at (718) 507-7616 between the hours of 8:00am and 8:00pm, and ask to speak to Steve or Maria.
The African American and Caribbean Section is headed by assistant editor Annette Johnson, and Liberty News Online Staff Writers contributing articles. It will cover articles about the African American and Caribbean communities throughout the U.S.A. For more information, feel free to email us at lncarib@hadofnyc.org. If you are interested in having us cover one of your events, feel free to notify us one week in advance, so we can add you to our master calendar, and have our Liberty News Staff come and write an article about your event. Feel free to email us at lnevents@hadofnyc.org, or telephone us at (718) 507-7616 between the hours of 8:00am and 8:00pm, and ask to speak to Annette or Steve