Calendar

The Consulate General of Italy in Boston announces a special virtual concert titled “Passione – Canto Italiano” featuring the Marco Pignataro Jazzet with Strings + Special Guests. Mr. Pignataro is a renowned jazz player, saxophonist, composer, professor and co-director of the Berklee Global Jazz Institute at the Berklee College of Music. He will perform with famous international artists including legendary Italian American bassist John Patitucci, winner of four Grammy Awards. The jazz quartet will also feature virtuoso drummer Adam Cruz, and Alan Pasqua, a renowned piano player who has performed with music legends such as Bob Dylan, Santana and Tony Williams. This extraordinary jazz quartet will be accompanied by a string quartet composed by members of the prestigious Boston Symphony Orchestra. The virtual concert will be recorded live at the WGBH Fraser Performance Studio in Boston and will be broadcast on December 18th on the Consulate General of Italy in Boston Facebook page.

The concert will feature inspiring new arrangements of celebrated Italian music and Neapolitan classics commissioned exclusively for this special event. Featuring the unique fusion of traditional strings and jazz, famous Italian melodies will be performed in celebration of the great tradition of Italian culture and music.

The Consulate General of Italy in Boston embraces music as a tool to promote cultural diplomacy, which is the primary purpose of Vivere ALL’italiana, or “Living the Italian Way”, a campaign of the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs aimed at advancing Italy’s cultural heritage, creativity, innovation and lifestyle. 

“The universal language of music has the power to bring people together and overcome cultural and language barriers. Music is deeply steeped in Italian culture, and through the centuries, the tradition of Italian music has unified humanity in times of joy and sorrow. No more has that been evident in the many examples of solidarity shown by the Italian people through song and music during the pandemic crisis”, stated the Consul General of Italy in Boston, Federica Sereni. 

Dedicated to the local Italian community, this concert will call upon some family traditions from Mr. Pignataro’s own childhood. In preparation for the event, he reflects on listening to the “haunting melodies and poetic lyricism” of old Neapolitan Music in his household, thanks to his father. “Exploring its themes of passion, drama, unrequited or  hopeless love through the lenses of jazz & chamber music is the inspiration behind this project. I am beyond excited that this longtime dream of mine is now a reality with this concert,” Pignataro says.

Pignataro’s memories represent the kind of sentimental reflection that the Consulate aims to evoke from listeners and community members in attendance of the concert. Passione will be a celebration of the beauty that can come from artists merging their creative spirits in honor of a moment of reflection.

The Paramount Emerson is proud to offer to its viewers the Italian Movie Mascarpone, Maschile Singolare on April 10th. You can purchase tickets here. 

Movie Synopsis: Antonio is a 30 yo family man, whose life finds an unexpected twist when he’s suddenly dumped by his husband, whom he depends both psychologically and economically: he needs to find a new place to stay, a job and a new purpose in life. Antonio finds a room in an apartment owned by Denis and starts to work in a bakery owned by Luca, while attending pastry school. Through this process he discovers that it was wrong of him to give up his independence for the sake of his relationship in the past.

We are excited to bring you a presentation of Alessandro Guida & Matteo Pilati’s hit comedy, Mascarpone.

On Friday 2 December at 8 pm the City Winery in Boston will host the release concert of “Scanzonati”, the
new album by Stefano Marchese and Andrea Pejrolo, to be released on 26 November on all digital
platforms.
The path that led Stefano Marchese and Andrea Pejrolo to the new recording, passes through the
collaboration with great artists including Bobby McFerrin, Luis Enrique, Mogol, Carmen Consoli, concerts in
important venues, the job as professor at Berklee College of Music and the artistic direction of the “Sounds
of Italy” and “Jazz in the park” festivals.
At City Winery in Boston, on stage next to the two leaders: Lihi Haruvi (sax), Giò Albanese (accordion), Nick
Grondin (guitar), Giuseppe Paradiso (drums), Bengisu Gokce (violin) and many special guests.
Tickets are on sale at the link http://bit.ly/3UIjOYU. Info at www.citywinery.com.
In the 10 songs of “Scanzonati” there is a fusion of Italian songwriting with contemporary jazz harmonies that
the two musicians have made their own while working in the States. The main element is the Italian
language, whose cultural value is promoted by the duo as a symbol of inclusion and diversity Stefano
Marchese’s solo voice, precise, sincere and enthralling, is the unifying element of Scanzonati’s sound, while
Andrea Pejrolo’s sophisticated arrangements take listening by the hand in a musical journey full of surprises
and original sounds. The elegance of the melodies is underlined by the presence of violin, cello, acoustic
guitars, double bass and saxophones, meeting the rhythms of jazz and the more visceral sounds of the
Italian musical tradition, where drums, percussions, accordion and guitars bring out the energy of the whole
band.
Stefano Marchese is an award-winning Italian singer-songwriter and educator. He has collaborated with
Grammy winners Bobby McFerrin and Luis Enrique, among others. Thanks to his solo album Radici, in 2021
he was nominated by Serafini as one the 100 most relevant Abruzzesi abroad.
The band leader of Scanzonati, along with bass player and Berklee faculty Andrea Pejrolo, Marchese has
collaborated with stars of Italian musica leggera such as Mogol and Carmen Consoli. A radio and TV host
and producer, his show L’Italia chiamò was aired on more than 40 TV channels in Italy and Europe, and has
included Oscar-winning composer and director Nicola Piovani and Italian jazz and pop stars such as Chiara
Civello, Zucchero, Levante, Dardust, and GeGè Telesforo.
A Berklee faculty member and teaching artist for the Eliot School, Marchese has presented at national and
international music education conferences and published work in music education journals on the topic of
culturally and linguistically responsive teaching and technology in music education. As artistic director, he
curates several series and festivals in New England, such as Jazz in the Park, Sounds of Italy, and Piazza
All’Aperto among others.
Andrea Pejrolo is a national and international composer, producer, arranger, bassist, and music educator in
Boston, Massachusetts. He holds a Ph.D. in jazz studies from New York University, a Master in Composition
for Film, TV, Theater and Multimedia from the University of Bristol (U.K.) and a Music Diploma in Jazz
Performance from Manhattan School of Music in New York City. Some of his most recent collaborations and
projects include “Scanzonati, Sounds of Italy, Lou Salloum and Jamie Helou (Lebanon, Beirut), Kukaio Film
Production (Munich, Germany), Traits de Marque in Paris, iAcoustica Studio drum library, iDrum Rock
Edition for iPhone/iPad in collaboration with Izotope, arrangements and recording with the City of Prague
Philharmonic Orchestra, Don Sebesky, ABC, CBS, Cy Coleman, Burning Petals Music Production (U.K.), the
Broadway Show "Swing" (St. James Theater, NYC), and the Grand Canyon Music Festival. Andrea is also
the author of various books, articles and essays on the subject of music technology and jazz analysis. His
most recent publications include: “Creating Sounds from Scratch” for Oxford University Press
(http://a.co/8JuPJ78), and “Acoustic and MIDI Orchestration for the Contemporary Composer” for Focal
Press (http://a.co/aLBw63e). Andrea is currently a Professor (and former Chair) in the Contemporary Writing
and Production Department at the world-renowned Berklee College of Music.

For event registration you can use the QR in this picture or use this link.

Secure your tickets here

Secure your tickets at https://247drums.myshopify.com/products/cettina-donato-trio-special-guest-live-performance-01-28-25

Cettina Donato in Concert