CONCERT and GALA DINNER
New York, Carnegie Hall, 10 November 2010

The Season Project
As part of their Fall Gala, Friends of FAI was delighted to host a very unique musical event at Carnegie Hall: the New York debut of "The Seasons Project" by Philip Glass, performed by the violinist Robert McDuffie and the Venice Baroque Orchestra. The concert opened with Vivaldi's world famous "The Four Seasons" in the first half and concluded with the new Philip Glass "American Four Seasons." The concert took place at Carnegie Hall on November the 10th 2010, at 7.30 pm and was followed by a Gala dinner at the Morgan Library to benefit Friends of FAI.

SPECIAL EVENT
NEW YORK, Italian Cultural Institute, 31 March 2010

US Italian Desk Launch Party
To celebrate the launch of its US/Italian Desk, Withers Bergman hosted a launch and silent auction event to benefit Friends of FAI (Fondo per l'Ambiente Italiano - the National Trust of Italy). The celebration took place on March 31st from 5:00PM-8:00PM at the Italian Cultural Institute in New York City.

EXHIBITION
Tribeca, Grand Hotel, 11th February

The Rape of Europa
The Rape of Europa tells the story of the plundering of Europe's great works of art during World War II and Allied efforts to minimize the damages. In a journey through seven countries, the film takes the audience into the violent whirlwind of fanaticism, greed, and warfare that threatened to wipe out the artistic heritage of Europe. Today, more than sixty years later, the legacy of this tragic history continues to play out as families of looted collectors recover major works of art, conservators repair battle damage, and nations fight over the fate of ill-gotten spoils of war. Joan Allen narrates this breathtaking chronicle about the battle over the very survival of centuries of western culture.

SPECIAL EVENT
NEW YORK, Loro Piana Boutique, 8th December

Night of Shopping at Loro Piana Boutique
A night of Shopping at Loro Piana Boutique to Benefit Friends of FAI.
10% of the proceeds will be donated to Friends of FAI.

SPECIAL INITIATIVE
Christmas 2007

Friends of FAI Greeting Cards
Greeting Cards are a concrete act to give FAI help.

EXHIBITION
New York, Casa Italiana Zirilli Marimò, 1th February

A Museum Called Italy
A photo exhibition of the most beautiful properties restored by FAI.
An inaugural lecture Villa dei Vescovi, an example of pre-palladian villa by Prof. Francesco Benelli (Columbia University).
Followed by an overview of the most recently restored FAI's properties by Marco Magnifico, CEO of FAI, Luigi Moscheri, President of Friends of FAI, Ruthann Niosi, President of the New York Chapter.

CONCERT
ECCELLENZE ITALIANE
New York, Carnegie Hall, 13th October

La Filarmonica della Scala in USA e Canada
Scoprire New York è come afferrare una folle immagine del mistero e della bellezza del mondo, scriveva Francis Scott Fitzgerald negli anni '20 del Novecento. Il viaggio sarà quindi un'occasione per immergersi nel ritmo incalzante della vita newyorkese e cogliere le ultime novità; che la città offre, scoprire alcuni luoghi poco noti, ma di grande interesse come il museo Dia a Beacon e la proprietà Rockefeller sulle rive dell'Hudson, incontrare gli amici del FAI che vivono a Manhattan e che con entusiasmo hanno contribuito a rendere l'itinerario ‘molto FAI'.
Culmine dell'Incontro sarà il concerto conclusivo della tournée americana della Filarmonica della Scala alla Carnegie Hall a favore di Friends of FAI.

SPECIAL EVENT
San Francisco, many locations, 16-22 October

Dining with De Medici
An extraordinary week of lectures, events, food tasting and culinary delights.

PERFORMANCE
ECCELLENZE ITALIANE
Zellerbach Palyhouse, University of California Berckley, 24th October

Arlecchino Servant of two Masters
We have met and succeeded in a challenge: thanks to the Piccolo Teatro di Milano, Friends of FAI presented as an "Eccellenza Italiana" the Piccolo Teatro's historic production of Carlo Goldoni's Arlecchino Servant of Two Masters.

CONCERT
ECCELLENZE ITALIANE
San Francisco, Ann and Gordon Getty's Home, 8th November

Quartetto d'archi della Scala playing
Liuteria di Cremona
It is a truly special occasion to be able to listen to three precious antique instruments, the "Cremonese 1715" violin by Antonio Stradivari, the 1734 "Stauffer" violin by Giuseppe Guarneri del Gesù and the 1615 "Stauffer" viola by Antonio and Gerolamo Amati, being played together in one concert.
It is a rare occasion when these instruments leave their room in the Cremona Town Hall, where they are kept, to be played so far from where they were made all those centuries ago.
It is therefore an extraordinary occasion, a privilege that the Town of Cremona has willingly bestowed upon the Friends of FAI, as a sign of respect and deep appreciation for what this association does worldwide, for Italy, to be able to listen to the instruments being played during a musical performance by great professionals, such as the members of the La Scala String Quartet.

CONCERT
Washington DC, 8th November

Daniela Barcellona and Alessandro Vitiello
Daniela Barcellona has met with public and critical acclaim worldwide as the winner of several international competitions and especially for her brilliant performance in the title role of Rossini's Tancredi at the Summer 1999 Rossini Opera Festival in Pesaro, which led to invitations from the world's leading opera houses: La Scala in Milan, the Arena di Verona, the Metropolitan in New York, and the Philharmonic in Berlin. Her dazzling mastery of mezzo bel canto is validated by praise for her performances in select French repertory and gala productions of Verdi's Requiem. She has performed under the baton of many prominent conductors, including Claudio Abbado, Riccardo Muti, Myun-Whun Chung, Colin Davis and Georges Pretre. Her stage and opera appearances will soon be complemented by several recording projects over the coming seasons.