Held last Thursday at the Institute’s headquarters, the first event opened with a tribute to the renowned conductor Carlo Felice Cillario and featured the presentation of the book Carlo Felice Cillario: Italian Maestro of the Australian Opera, a biography by Stephen Mould, conductor and opera lecturer at the University of Sydney.
Introducing the series, the Consul General of Italy in Sydney, Gianluca Rubagotti, explained the project’s broader vision:
“There are some visible traces left by Italians in Australia, we cannot ignore them,” he said, “But there are others that remain hidden. Through this series, we aim to uncover and highlight their full significance. While the Italian contribution to Australia is widely appreciated in terms of lifestyle, there are many other areas that deserve to be explored.
“Tonight, we begin with music and opera, a truly universal language.”
Rubagotti also invited the public to follow the Institute’s website and social media channels for updates on future events and curators.
The evening featured a conversation between the author and acclaimed conductor Daniel Smith. Their discussion offered an in-depth look at the life and career of Cillario, a pivotal figure in the development of opera in Australia and a collaborator of legendary artists such as Maria Callas, Montserrat Caballé and Luciano Pavarotti.
