MIAMI, FL — Stars of the Italian opera stage hit a high note in Miami’s Regatta Park over the weekend as thousands turned out for a free concert aimed at bringing the sometimes intimidating musical genre to everyday American ears.
“That’s the whole purpose of this project, to have them come here to fall in love with music to understand that this is not a difficult genre to like, that is accessible to everybody, and to invite them to go to local theaters to see opera and to enjoy this,” declared President and Music Director Maestro Alvise Casellati in an interview with Patch.
Melissa Capo of Miami was among those who took Casellati up on his offer to attend “Opera Italiana is in the Air” as did a number of families with young children.
“It was perfect,” Capo said. “Not everybody had the best view, but you didn’t need the best view to enjoy it.”
Casellati, who holds a master’s of law degree from Columbia University, practiced law for more than a decade before deciding that the heart wants what the heart wants. In his prior life, he once penned an exhaustive analysis on the European Union’s copyright directive, world’s away from Puccini in the park.
He set aside his legal career to pursue his musical passion, which has taken him from traditional opera stages in Venice and other cities to New York’s Central Park for two outdoor performances similar to the one in Miami. He plans to hold more performances in select U.S. cities in the future.
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“It’s easy even if you don’t speak Italian. If you think you don’t like opera you can come here, appreciate it and discover that you are in love with opera,” Casellati insisted.
Soprano Davinia Rodriguez and tenor Vincenzo Costanzo sang together for the first time in Miami, performing arias and duets from Verdi’s “Traviata” and Puccini’s “Tosca.”
“It is really unbelievable in a good way,” Rodriguez shared with Patch. “I’m so happy. The only thing is that we had to fight a little bit with the wind. It’s usual for us to be in the theater — no microphones, no wind but it’s interesting. It’s like being with family.”
She hopes that her performance will inspire some of the children who were in the audience.
“I always hope that, because they are the future,” she asserted following Saturday’s performance. “Fortunately, they are coming more and more. Schools are coming to the theater and that makes me really happy.”
Miami was chosen in part for the large number of Italians who have come here, estimated to be around 30,000 in recent years, according to Cristiano Musillo, Consul General of Italy in Miami. He delivered opening remarks prior to the performance along with WPLG TV’s Amy Viteri and Miami City Commission Chairman Ken Russell.
“In the last 10 years Miami’s cultural scene has grown tremendously. This is a quest for culture,” observed Casellati. “We thought this would be a perfect place, people thirsty of culture.”
Costanzo, who was born in 1991, is one of the youngest tenors in Italy and has already logged performances around the world.
The orchestra was made up of student musicians and professionals from around South Florida, including some from the University of Miami and others from Florida International University.
Casellati said there was time for only a handful of rehearsals with the orchestra ahead of the outdoor performance, but you wouldn’t have known it judging from the reaction of the audience.
“It’s not very many (rehearsals) but they’re very perceptive. It was a pleasure to work with them,” he explained of the orchestra, featuring dozens of local musicians.
For a few hours over the weekend, the Magic City transformed into an Italian city, or at least it made an effort to try.
“Miami, buonasera,” said Russell in welcoming the crowd to Regatta Park. “Grazie. That’s all I got.”