FRIDAY, MAY 20, 2022, 8:00 pmAlexis Zingale
Mary Flagler Cary Hall at the DiMenna Center for Classical Music
450 W 37th St., New York, NY 10018
Tickets will be $25 via EventBrite closer to the event
UPDATE, 10/14: I am hoping to reach a stretch goal of $4,000! I'm hoping to engage more and different people in this project. So, I've added a new reward: $50 to put your business logo in the program. This is also available as an add-on to any existing reward!
When asked if I would program works of Southern Italian composers, I agreed immediately, only to find out how little I knew. Of course, we are all familiar with many Italian composers, but how many of the composers we know are from the south of Italy, specifically? Most of the very famous Italian names in classical music are from northern Italy. Past the Baroque and classical periods, most southern Italian composers have been neglected and underrepresented. That one request in March of 2020 continues to lead me on a wonderful journey of research and discovery of under-performed piano repertoire.
Since the Risorgimento, the south of Italy has faced many disadvantages and challenges; these challenges triggered a mass wave of immigration to the United States and elsewhere in the Americas. About 87% of Italian-Americans are descended from southern Italians. This music represents a portion of their - and my - heritage that is, in most cases, unknown in this country.
The canon of Western music, wonderful as it is, neglects many deserving composers. I want to change the narrative of history and help give composers from the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies the exposure they deserve. Fans of lesser-known classical piano repertoire of any area will find much to love in this recital!
I feel that an essential element of bringing this music to as many people as possible is that it be performed live in a wonderful and large venue in a central location for a reasonable price. While I will perform it locally in Connecticut prior to playing it in New York, performing it in Manhattan is the best route to exposing more of those interested in this cause.
My program represents multiple compositional styles, time periods, and regions of Southern Italy, from before and after the fall of the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies. I will present works of Alessandro and Domenico Scarlatti, Domenico Cimarosa, Ferdinando Bonamici, Alessandro Longo, Francesco Cilea, Mario Pilati, Eliodoro Sollima, and Giovanni Sollima. While the Scarlatti family and Cimarosa are certainly performed in the US, Cilea is mostly known in this country for his operas alone. Few have heard any of the other works on this recital program in this country.
The program booklets for this recital will contain substantial biographical information about the composers, as well as notes on the compositions themselves. As well, it will contain a listing of the sponsors for the project.
Estimated costs associated with the recital include:
• Rental of venue: $1350
• Printing of Programs: $500
• Marketing and Promotion of Event: $3500
(includes marketing/logo/branding, website, advertising in publications, expenses incurred making recordings for promotion, etc.)
This is a total of $5,350.
For this Kickstarter, I am only asking for $3,000 of my estimated total. As you know, Kickstarter is an "all or nothing" program, so, should I not be able to raise $3,000 on this venue, I will not receive anything from Kickstarter at all... and that will be an enormous obstacle. Should I raise more than my goal for this fundraiser, it will cover the rest of what I need to produce this recital; should I receive more than I need to cover this recital, funds will go into the next recital for The Southern Italian Piano Project. I am not including payment for my own time, energy, or expertise here, only my anticipated expenses. As well, as a full-time classical musician, I live on the income of a full-time classical musician; self-funding is not possible.
This will be an ongoing project; this recital is just the first step to the future. I continue to research this music, and I continue to find marvelous yet unknown repertoire that I am eager to play. I look forward to performing more programs of yet more underrepresented music of southern Italy, and hopefully taking this project "on the road" for others eager to discover the spectacular music of the Mezzogiorno.
Please visit the website for The Southern Italian Piano Project or my own website at Alexis Zingale if you'd like to learn more. I hope to see you at the recital! Thank you so much!
