L'Italo-Americano

16 www.italoamericano.com L'Italo-Americano THURSDAY, OCTOBER 17, 2013 Enjoying the real Taste of Italy: the best way to help preser ve our heritage sILvIA sIMONeTTI Some of the finest Italian restaurants of Los Angeles gathered together on Saturday, October 12 to showcase and cel- Italian cuisine with some of its most talented representatives, but also at benefitting the restoration and re-opening in 2014 of the Italian American Museum of Los Angeles Taste of Italy 2013 ebrate the culinary tradition of a Country whose millenary taste for good food and wine is worldrenowned and appreciated. The 2013 edition of the "Taste of Italy" took place in the very heart of Downtown, between the Pico House and the Los Angeles Plaza Park, which are among the historical and most evocative venues in the City. The event - organized during the Italian Heritage Month - was aimed not only at promoting (IAMLA) in the historic site of the Italian Hall. As Executive Director and historian Marianna Gatto underlined in her speech, the IAMLA will be a modern and interactive museum paying tribute to all the different communities that live in Los Angeles and have significantly contributed to the development of the City as well as of Southern California throughout the history. The 5th "Taste of Italy" was Community Highlights "Invisible Cities" IIC preview An exclusive preview of Invisible Cities - an invisible opera for wireless headphones by The Industry and LA Dance Project was presented on Saturday, September 5, when the theater and courtyard of the IIC turned into a fascinating musical setting made of unexpected and original sounds for the audience to enjoy through wireless headphones. Written by composer Christopher Cerrone, directed by Yuval Sharon, and realized with the support of the Italian Cultural Institute, Sennheiser, TRAXX Restaurant, The California Community Foundation, and The Los Angeles Philanthropic Committee for the Arts, the show will be performed in LA's historic Union Station with singers and dancers mingling with the crowd from October 19 to November 8. Italy and the EU to play jazz at the UCLA Four days of music with the EUropean Jazz @ UCLA concert series taking place on October 10 - 13 at UCLA Schoenberg Hall. The initiative - a collaboration between ten European Consulates located in Los Angeles and San Francisco, UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music, UCLA Center for European and Eurasian Studies, and Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz Performance, and the Italian Cultural Institute of Los Angeles has been conceived by Croatia with the support of the EU and partnership with UCLA as "an attempt to illustrate the European language of jazz, in dialogue with the freedom of expression of this indigenous American art form that has travelled and expanded throughout the world." Among participating European countries such as Austria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Germany, Hungary, Ireland, Poland, Switzerland, and others, Italy will be represented by Italian Jazz Trio- Dado Moroni (piano), Marco Panascia (bass), and Andrea Marcelli (drums), playing on Sunday, October 13 at 2 p.m. Marcelli will also perform at the IIC on Saturday, October 12. Celebrating Verdi's bicentennial and his opera "Un Ballo in Maschera" The Vineyard Touring Opera Company, a non-profit corporation committed to promote celebrated opera works in the local community as well as to provide opportunities for local singers, presents Verdi's Un Ballo in Maschera (A Masked Ball). It will be performed at the Woman's Clubs respectively in Claremont on October 5, in South Pasadena on October 12, and in Santa Monica on October 19 at 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. attended by dignitaries of local and Italian institutions, including members of the Los Angeles City Council, the Consulate General of Italy, the Italian Cultural Institute, the Italian Trade Commission, the Italian American Chamber of Commerce West, and many other associations like the Historic Italian Hall Foundation committed to promote our rich heritage and culture in the United States. In his introductory remarks, Senator of Southern California Kevin de León expressed his gratitude to the local Italian American community for the crucial role it played in building the whole Country, and he reaffirmed the strong and long standing relationship between Italy and the U.S. Members of the Los Angeles City Council Tom LaBonge and John Buscaino – who is native of Sicily - were also in attendance to acknowledge the tremendous work of the festival's organizers and the IAMLA Board of Directors, starting from the President Paul Pagnone. In particular, Councilman John Buscaino from the 15thDistrict - which includes the area of San Pedro, boasting one of the largest concentrations of Italian Americans in California - reminded us of the importance of preserving the Italian Hall as a monument and a symbol of our history to pass on to future generations. Among the special guests who participated in the event were also actor Luis Lombardi (The Usual Suspects) presenting his new gourmet food line, former LA RAMS football player Vince Ferragamo promoting his family-run winery, and Italian goalkeeper Carlo Cudicini who plays for Major League Soccer club LA Galaxy. Authentic Italian food, wine, Grecanico Salentino", soprano Elisabetta Russo, La Dolce Vita singers, USC "SoCal Vocal" a cappella group, and other artists performing famous Italian songs. Furthermore, two Turkish airlines tickets to Italy were raffled off. Thanks to the support of the institutions, the prestigious sponsors, and all the guests of "Taste of Italy", the IAMLA will soon represent an additional and powerful instrument to pursue the common goal of proudly protecting and honoring the Tom LaBonge, Marianna Gatto, Fred Buscaino, Paul Pagnone, and Kevin de Leon and dessert tastings were accompanied throughout the evening by live entertainment provided by "Canzoniere Italian history, cultural legacy, and original traditions within the multicultural American society. Community in pictures Columbus Day celebrations at Casa Italiana On Sunday, October 13 the Italian community of Los Angeles proudly commemorated the 521th Anniversary of the discovery of the American Continent with a rich program including guest speakers from local Italian American institutions and associations, delicious food, music entertainment, and fun activities for the whole family. Columbus Day celebrations at Casa Italiana in Downtown were presented by the United Lodges of Southern California, Order Sons of Italy in America, and Federated Italo-Americans of Southern California committed to preserve and promote the Italian American cultural heritage, history and traditions. Don't miss out the next edition of L'Italo-Americano to read more about this remarkable event!

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