Open rehearsals to be held in partnership with UniCredit Foundation
Milan, Wednesday, November 3, 2010 - The world-renowned Filarmonica della Scala and its Main Partner, UniCredit, are pleased to present La Filarmonica della Scala incontra la città ("Filarmonica della Scala Meets the City"), a program of six open rehearsals. This initiative is made possible through the support of the UniCredit Foundation and the patronage of the Department of Family, School and Social Policies of the Municipality of Milan.
The first open rehearsal of the 2010-2011 season will be held on Sunday, November 7, 2010, at 10:15 am. Featuring the conductor Valery Gergiev, admission to this unique event will be free of charge for the people of Milan. The rehearsal will be preceded by an on-stage dialogue between Gergiev and Ernesto Schiavi, the orchestra's artistic director, about the music to be performed.
The five remaining open rehearsals will be held from February to May of 2011.
Proceeds from the program will be donated to five associations engaged in local social programs. These include the Comunità Nuova Onlus of Don Gino Rigoldi, VIDAS, the Umberto Veronesi Scuola Italiana di Senologia, the Opera San Francesco for the Poor, and a recreation center operated by the city of Milan that makes it possible for elderly citizens to attend the theater. Ticket prices will range from €5 to €50 for each rehearsal.
Filarmonica della Scala incontra la città embodies UniCredit's commitment to culture - making music and art accessible to audiences for whom culture might otherwise seem distant and unattainable. Our Group believes that culture is an engine of sustainable economic and social development, which can stimulate dialogue and encourage innovation and the exchange of ideas.
The success of last year's series of open rehearsals underscores the special opportunity they provide for experiencing world-class performances. Preceding each of these unique rehearsals, conductors will be on hand to offer a detailed commentary on their artistic choices and the attributes of the works being performed. These events will be working rehearsals: Performers will be attired informally, the orchestra will stop and repeat passages, and they will frequently rehearse only certain parts of the complete program.
Each of the open rehearsals will be introduced by the conductor and by a key supporter from Milan's cultural and musical scene.
This initiative is also made possible by the organizational support of Aragorn Communication and with the cooperation of the Teatro alla Scala.
"To speak to the city and reach out to a larger audience has always been a major goal of the Filarmonica," said Ernesto Schiavi. "From the very start, we have offered lower prices for gallery seats, opened dress rehearsals to students and cooperated with non-profits by providing them with access to rehearsals, as well as dedicated concerts. La Filarmonica della Scala incontra la Città is the culmination of our work over the past few years, and we plan to support it with other initiatives, such as the Sound, music! project for children and the Coincidenze series that will bring music into art galleries."
"La Filarmonica della Scala incontra la Città is a great opportunity to introduce an institution like Teatro alla Scala to a broader audience, making music and culture more accessible. This is possible thanks to successful collaboration among many actors who share a single goal: creating opportunities for the public to come together, to engage in dialogue and to grow," said Antonella Massari, Head of Group Identity & Communications UniCredit. "These open rehearsals express UniCredit's commitment to reaching out to the city of Milan and to meeting the needs of its citizens. We believe this season will successfully engage the public while generating support for vital social causes. And we are sure that Milan will respond with the same amount of enthusiasm and generosity that it has demonstrated in years past."
"We are glad to support, for the second consecutive year, the Filarmonica della Scala's open rehearsals," said Maurizio Carrara, President of the UniCredit Foundation. "For us, it is particularly important that this program's proceeds will help fund the work of five non-profit organizations. Moreover, this initiative demonstrates the strong support the UniCredit Foundation provides to organizations operating the greater Milan area."
Open rehearsal Sunday, November 7, 10:15 am - City-wide open rehearsal
Valery Gergiev
Leonidas Kavakos, violin
Introduction by Ernesto Schiavi and Valery Gergiev
Open rehearsal Sunday, February 6, 7:30 pm in support of Comunità Nuova
Constantinos Carydis
Anna Vinnitskaya, piano
Introduction by Marcello Sirotti and Constantinos Carydis
Open rehearsal Sunday, February 27, 7:30 pm in support of VIDAS
Georges Prêtre
Introduction by Angelo Foletto and Georges Prêtre
Open rehearsal SMarch 12, 1:30 pm in support of Centro Socioricreativo Cenisio - 'Ercole Ratti'
Omer Meir Wellber
Introduction by Carlo Boccadoro and Omer Meir Wellber
Open rehearsal Saturday, April 3, 10:00 am in support of Scuola di Senologia
Riccardo Chailly
Introduction by Massimiliano Finazzer Flory and Riccardo Chailly
Open rehearsal Sunday, May 8, 8:00 pm in support of Opera San Francesco per i poveri
Gianandrea Noseda
Matthias Goerne, barytone
Introduction by Gianandrea Noseda
The project "La Filarmonica della Scala incontra la Città" is currently featured on ultrafragola, a website dedicated to videos about culture. This program of open rehearsals began on November 7, 2010, with a performance by two extraordinary conductors, Valery Gergiev and Diego Matheuz, and will end on Sunday, May 8, 2011. Each performance will be recorded and made available for online viewing. To see interviews, videos and in-depth materials covering this initiative, please visit www.ultrafragola.it
Tickets: from €5 to €50 (excluding booking fees) starting Sunday, February 6, 2011.
Presale:
tel. 02 465467467, Aragorn Communications (from Monday to Friday, 10:00 am - 1:00 pm and 2:00 pm and 6:00 pm)
Presales Box Offices:
Box Office c/o RICORDI MEDIA STORES, Galleria Vittorio Emanuele, Milan - 02 8690683
Box Office c/o MONDADORI MULTICENTER, Piazza Duomo 1, MilanoFinanza.it - Circus
Box Office c/o RICORDI MEDIA STORES MONZA, Via Italia 41, Monza - 039 2301566
VIVATICKET www.vivaticket.it
Contact:
UniCredit Filarmonica della Scala
Viviana Vestrucci Paolo Besana
Press Office Cultural Events Head of Communications
Tel. 02 87275790 Tel. 02 72023671
viviana.vestrucci@unicredit.it paolo.besana@filarmonica.it
UniCredit Foundation
Bojana Jovanovic
Internal and external Communications
Tel. 02 88620095
bojana.jovanovic@unicreditfoundation.org
Aragorn
Communications, events and fundraising for the no profit
Francesca Sangalli - Tel. 02 46546748
francescasangalli@aragorn.it - www.aragorn.it
Sec Institutional and Public Relations - Tel. 02 624999.1
Elena Todisco - todisco@secrp.it - 339 1919562
Giulia Bertolini - bertolini@secrp.it - 333 7891567