On the evening of March 27th, the Italian Ambassador to the United States, Mariangela Zappia, hosted a concert to commemorate the 100^th anniversary of the death of Maestro Giacomo Puccini. The event, organized with the Italian Cultural Institute in Washington, featured a performance by the renowned double bassist Valentina Ciardelli accompanied by Stefano Teano on the piano.

The musicians presented two Puccini fantasies: “Che puoi farmi? Non ti temo” from “La fanciulla del West” e “O Scarpia, Avanti a Dio!” based on themes from “Tosca”. The concert marks the beginning of a series of initiatives planned to commemorate the centenary of Giacomo Puccini’s death, in collaboration with the Arena di Verona Foundation and the Washington National Opera.