Special Cultural Evening and Celebration at the Italian Cultural Institute - The Majesty of Rome; - The Glory of Florence; and especially - The Beauty that is Venice Tonight, you are invited to attend a very special evening as we step onto foreign soil and experience centuries worth of Italian history and culture. Our hosts - the Consulate General of Italy and the Italian Cultural Institute - are assisting TTD's Young Professional's Cultural Society with an evening catered to bringing two different countries together for an in-depth cultural exchange. Featuring: 1) OPEN ITALIAN BAR AND ITALIAN WINE TASTING: Sample a variety of Italian wines (and other drinks). 2) ITALIAN BUFFET: Tonight, we will be preparing a light buffet, traditionally served in Italy and for the special VIP guests of the Consulate. Featuring: Penne Arriabiata Meat Lasagna Cesar salad Assorted Breads 3) LIVE ITALIAN OPERA PRESENTATION: The first opera was performed in 1600 at the wedding of Maria de Medici and Henry IV of France at the Palazzo Pitti in Florence. Since then, Italy has created much of the world’s greatest opera. From Monteverdi’s creations at the Teatro San Cassiano, to Rossini’s comic operas such as The Barber of Seville, to the new and rising opera pieces of the 21st Century, the standard for all opera originates in, and permeates, the Italian soul. Tonight we present you with a unique sampling of timeless classics from the leading Opera houses of Italy. Two opera singers will be on hand for a live exclusive performance (from the Baroque, through the romantic period and to today). 4) PREMIERE OF AN ITALIAN ART DISPLAY: Interior Costume by Enzo Cucchi Inaugurated at the Capodimonte Museum in Naples in the summer of 2009 and later shown at MACRO in Rome, the exhibition Interior Costume premieres in the States at the IIC of Los Angeles and San Francisco. Enzo Cucchi, one of the most original and visionary members of the Transavanguardia movement, presents an installation in which he displays his symbolic vision of the universe. Achille Bonito Oliva, curator of the exhibition and founder of the Transavanguarde movement states that “when Enzo Cucchi’s work - painting, drawing, sculpture - becomes architecture, Interior Costume, an exhibition of floating images on paper as anthropomorphic shapes, does indeed compete with the Tower of Babel.” The exhibition is accompanied by a bilingual catalogue designed by the artist and published by Incontri Internazionali d’Arte directed by Graziella Lonardi Buontempo. Preface by Nicola Spinosa, Supervisor of the Naples Museum Hub. 5) ITALIAN FILM: Our hosts are putting together a special film to highlight the beauty and culture of Italy’s cities and countryside. Suggested Attire: Business/Casual (no jeans or tee shirts). Directions: Italian Cultural Institute of Los Angeles 1023 Hilgard Avenue Los Angeles, CA 90024 Cost: $45.00 Price subject to increase 5 PM Friday		Friday Sep 24, 2010 7:30pm-9:30pm Italian Cultural Institute of Los Angeles $45