The Italian Cultural Institute of New York celebrates Enrico Caruso, the legendary Neapolitan tenor whose voice transformed the history of music and helped bring Italian opera into the American mainstream.
The evening will feature the screening of Enrico Caruso, the Greatest Singer in the World, curated by Giuliana Muscio, and a conversation with Giuliana Muscio and Simona Frasca on Caruso’s artistic legacy, his role in Italian-American imagery, and the cultural bridge he created between Naples and New York.
The program will also mark the opening of the photographic and audio exhibition Enrico Caruso: From Naples to New York, first presented at the Museo Archeologico Nazionale di Napoli in 2022. The exhibition brings together rare photographs, historical documents, and original recordings from the collections of the Istituto Centrale per i Beni Sonori e Audiovisivi.
One of the first global opera stars and among the earliest recording artists, Caruso reached millions through the gramophone and became a symbol of Italian talent, migration, and cultural influence in America.
Program:
1 Introduction by Claudio Pagliara, Director, Italian Cultural Institute New York
2 Panel Discussion – The Sound that Crosses the Ocean: Caruso and the Italian-American Imagery, Giuliana Muscio (Senior Scholar Università di Padova) and Simona Frasca (Università degli Studi di Napoli “Federico II”)
3 Screening – Enrico Caruso, the Greatest Singer in the World
4 Opening of the exhibition – Enrico Caruso: From Naples to New York (photographs, historical documents, and original recordings)
The exhibition is the fourth of five musical initiatives promoted by the Italian Cultural Institute of New York in partnership with Carnegie Hall’s United in Sound: America at 250 festival.
