- The Outreach and Engagement Unit of the Institute for Advanced Studies of Universidad de Santiago de Chile, together with the Italian Cultural Institute, started their cultural program for 2016 with the opening of the course “Introduction to Opera”.
On January 5th the course “Introduction to Opera” was opened with a welcome speech given by the Italian Ambassador to Chile, Marco Ricci. The course initiated a series of cultural activities scheduled for 2016 by the Outreach and Engagement Unit of the Institute for Advanced Studies (IDEA, in Spanish) of Universidad de Santiago in partnership with the Italian Cultural Institute.
Ambassador Ricci welcomed the 130 course participants saying that the high interest in this art form was “an acknowledgement of the strong relation between this artistic expression and Italy, where the first theatres were built for its performance.”
He highlighted the important role of the opera in the Italian unification process and in building the national identity of that country and said that an aria like Verdi’s Va pensiero “can be considered, in its origins, as a real Italian national anthem.”
He stressed the importance of the partnership between IDEA and the Italian Cultural Institute, which was very productive during 2015, as a result of the several high academic quality courses that have given many people an insight into the Italian culture.
He added that during the nine sessions of the course, students will have the possibility of appreciating this artistic expression that is already patrimony of all big musical cultures around the world and “undeniably, a privileged point of view to approach Italian culture and value its innovation ability and influence at a global level.”
Outreach and Engagement
Carmen Gloria Bravo, who is in charge of the Outreach and Engagement Unit of IDEA, said that the course given between January 04th and 15th, has the purpose of “going over the history of this music genre, from its origins in Florence, between 1570 and 1580, to the 20th century, and through the Baroque period, the Romanticism and the Verismo.”
Participants will be able to learn about the “art form that incorporates all the other art forms,” as it involves music, poetry, acting, dance and literature.
The 130 participants of the course come from different areas of the Metropolitan Region and they have different professional backgrounds, what contributes to “generate spaces to promote reflection and debate based on diversity,” she added.
Italian Cultural Institute
The Director of the Italian Cultural Institute and Cultural Attaché of the Italian Embassy in Santiago, Anna Mondavio, highlighted the importance of gathering people of different ages around the culture and art of this European county, as it is a rarely seen initiative.
“I believe that these courses give a very important opportunity to everyone who wants to approach the Italian culture in an academic way, but without being full-time student at the university,” she said.
The course started with a historical introduction given by Dr Claudio Rolle and it will finish on January 15th with the performance of the soprano Constanza Biagini Frigeiro who will sing famous opera arias.
Translated by Marcela Contreras
