Knight’s out

The Institute of Italian Culture in Chicago will screen the mixed-media film “Il Cavaliere Inesistente” (The Nonexistent Knight) by Pino Zac at 2 p.m. on Oct. 24 at 500 N. Michigan Ave., Suite 1450, Chicago. Shot in 1971 and inspired by an Italo Calvino novel. the film combines animation and actors to tell a story filled with fantasy and humor that will be enjoyed by adults and children alike. For more, click here.

Enemy within

The Institute of Italian Culture in Chicago will screen the 1970 film “Uomini Contro” (Many Wars Ago) by Francesco Rosi at 6 p.m. on Oct. 26 at 500 N. Michigan Ave., Suite 1450, Chicago. On the Italian/Austrian front during World War I, a disastrous Italian attack upon the Austrian positions leads to a mutiny among the Italian troops led by Lieutenant Sassu against the division’s unpopular general. The film is based on the historical novel “One Year on the High Plateau” by Emilio Lussu. For more, click here.

Dances of future past

After a milestone 60th anniversary season, Giordano Dance Chicago will step into their next decade by dipping their toes into the past. Their program Unlimited|Season 61 at the Harris Theater on Oct. 27 and 28 will feature the return of three Giordano greats, from the ’90s to now. The program will include 1999’s athletic “Le Grand Futur is Here!,” 2012’s breakneck “Jolt” and 2016’s noir-style “Sneaky Pete.” Founded by jazz dance legend Gus Giordano, the troupe is under the direction of his daughter Nan. For more, click here.

Channeling Dean

Tony Ocean’s life changed when the Chicago-area singer did a Dean Martin impersonation at one of his shows. The owner of the venue was so impressed, he teamed Ocean with two other artists who channeled Frank Sinatra and Sammy Davis Jr., and “The Pack Is Back” was born. Thirty years and 8,000 shows later, Ocean continues to light up stages across the country with his upbeat, nostalgic performances. Catch his Dean Martin Show at the Des Plaines Theatre on Oct. 29. For more, click here.

Psychedelic elephant

Italian psychedelic pop duo Dumbo Gets Mad will perform at 9 p.m. on Nov. 1 at the Empty Bottle in Chicago. Continually experimenting with a variety of musical styles, the band has released four albums and 10 singles since forming in Los Angeles in 2011. Conor Hudnut of the arts website amadeusmag.com counts the band’s 2013 album “Quantum Leap” among his favorites, noting that front couple Luca Massaro and Carlotta Menozzi “strike the perfect balance of playfulness and seriousness.” For more, click here.

Celebrating Sophia

The documentary “Sophia! The Life of Sophia Loren” will be screened at on Nov. 3 at the Maria Santissima Lauretana Society, 5854 W. Lawrence Ave., Chicago. Doors will open at 6 p.m., an Italian dinner with beer and wine will be served at 6:15 and the movie will be screened at 7:15. A virtual discussion with the filmmaker, Marco Spagnoli, will follow the screening. The cost is $25 per person. (Pay at the door.) The event is being hosted by the Maria SS. Lauretana Society and the Sons and Daughters of Italy in America.

Rising stars

Some of Chicago’s best young singers will perform Italian arias and art songs by iconic composers at the Italian Cultural Center for Casa Italia’s Vocal Scholarship Awards Dinner and Concert. The event will start at 2 p.m. on Nov. 12 in the Casa Italia Community Center, and feature a wine and cheese reception, concert and dinner. Scholarships from the LiPuma, Muccianti and Turano families, as well as the Italian American Executives of Transportation, will be presented. Founded by Josephine L. LiPuma, the competition has been running continuously since 1976. For more, click here.

Soulful clay

Celebrated for sensual marble sculptures that represented a new approach to classical idealism, Antonio Canova (1757-1822) was the preeminent European artist of his time. At the center of his sculpting process were extraordinary modern clay models that reveal Canova’s highly imaginative and technical process. “Canova: Sketching in Clay,” the first exhibition in more than 50 years to focus on these terra cottas, will be on display at the Art Institute of Chicago from Nov. 19, 2023-March 18, 2024. For more, click here.

Cabaret queen

Acclaimed local chanteuse Denise Tomasello will perform at 7 p.m. on Nov. 25 at Davenport’s in Chicago. Crowned as Chicago’s “Cabaret Queen” by the Tribune, Sun Times, Daily Herald, Skyline and WGN Radio, Tomasello will perform selections from her two triumphant concerts at the Des Plaines Theatre — musical tributes to Sammy Davis Jr., Frank Sinatra and Tony Bennett and to Judy Garland, Barbra Streisand and Liza Minnelli — as well as signature songs and fan favorites, in a more intimate setting. For more, click here.

Forward march!

Donizetti’s beloved comic opera “The Daughter of the Regiment” will march onto the Lyric Opera of Chicago stage for the first time in 50 years from Nov. 4-25. This iconic mashup of slapstick and romance will star two of the biggest names in opera — Lisette Oropesa and Lawrence Brownlee — and feature Alessandro Corbelli in the first of his two comic roles this season. The performances will herald the Lyric debut of internationally celebrated conductor Speranza Scappucci. For more, click here.

Bravura ballet

Ballet Legere’s 38th annual production of “The Nutcracker” will run from Dec. 2-3 at Dominican University in River Forest. Artistic Director Donna Vittorio has assembled a troupe of professional dancers from Chicagoland companies as well as local child and adult amateur dancers. Weekday performances on Nov. 30, Dec. 1 and Dec. 4 are geared for school field trips and senior groups. (773-237-1874) General performances are at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. on Dec. 2, and at noon and 4 p.m. on Dec. 3. For more, click here.

Fraught film

Italian Film Festival USA of Chicago will host the local premiere of the award-winning Italian noir thriller “The Invisible Witness” by Stefano Mordini. The film will be shown in Italian with English subtitles at 7 p.m. on Dec. 13 in the first-floor auditorium of the Northbrook Public Library. Admission is free. The screening is sponsored by Volpi Foods and the Italian Cultural Institute of Chicago, in collaboration with the Northbrook Public Library. Seating is limited and registration is required. For more, click here.

Thirty-One Days of Italians has released its 2023 List, honoring extraordinary people of Italian heritage who significantly influenced the history and development of America. The project was launched in 2006, with a list being provided annually for the month of October.

The first day in October honors the Italian immigrant and the last day is set aside to honor someone not on the list.

Honorary members are on the List every year and include Fr. Pietro Bandini, Constantino Brumidi, Mother Francis Cabrini, Enrico Caruso, Christopher Columbus, Enrico Fermi, Amadeo Pietro Giannini, Guglielmo Marconi, Filippo Mazzei, Antonio Meucci, Maria Montessori, Andrea Palladio, Antonio Pasin, Arturo Toscanini and Amerigo Vespucci.

Other names are rotated, giving everyone on Thirty-One Days of Italians a chance to have their day. The 2023 List includes Helen Barolini, Yogi Berra, Giovanni Caboto, Joe DiMaggio, Anthony Fauci, Geraldine Ferraro, Lee Iacocca, Ernest and Julio Gallo, Dominick Ghirardelli, Fiorello La Guardia, Vince Lombardi, Henry Mancini, Anthony Rossi, and Frank Sinatra.

For more, click here.

The Consulate of Italy in Detroit and the Dante Alighieri Society of Michigan will once again team up to produce LoveITDetroit. The month-long celebration of artists, innovators, designers, architects, engineers, brands, influencers and more from Italy and Detroit will hold forth throughout September at 1001 Woodward Avenue. A virtual experience is also available. The second-annual series of events will take place during the Detroit Month of Design. Last year’s event won Detroit the distinction of City of Italian Creativity in the World by the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation. For details, click here.

The Chicago Symphony Orchestra has named Ricardo Muti Music Director Emeritus for Life beginning in the 2023/24 season. The CSO’s 10th music director, Muti recently completed his 13th season at the helm of the celebrated symphony. He will assume the new role in September, when he conducts two weeks of concerts in Chicago to open the CSO’s 133rd season. Muti was recognized with the new artistic title during an onstage ceremony on June 23 at Orchestra Hall during the first of three performances of Beethoven’s “Missa solemnis,” which marked his final subscription concert as Zell Music Director.

Windy City crooner Sam Fazio debuted a newly discovered Cubs song before the team’s Aug. 2 matchup with the Cincinnati Reds at Wrigley Field.

Titled “Come Out to Wrigley Field,” the tune was written by Pasquale “P.J.” Panico, a World War II veteran, musician and retired city of Chicago employee who passed away at the age of 95.

A recording of the song was discovered among Panico’s belongings by his grandson, Rob Sarwark. “I was gathering up his old records for safekeeping, and one was clearly not commercially produced,” Sarwark says. What he unearthed was a demo of a Cubs booster song co-written by his grandfather and a family friend, Paul Geallis.

With the help of local record producer Steven Serra, Sarwark had the recording digitized and distributed on all the major music platforms.

“I felt that it was just too good of a song to keep hidden from the world,” says Sarwark. “But my goal, and my grandfather’s, I believe, was for it to one day be performed at Wrigley Field.”

Fazio, a longtime friend of the family, felt the same way.

“When I first heard the tune, I knew I wanted to sing it and somehow perform it at Wrigley Field,” says Fazio. “I wanted to make P.J.’s and Rob’s dream a reality.”

In the heart of Tuscany, a group of artisans and luthiers dedicated to the crafts of woodworking, metallurgy and musicianship produce some of the funkiest, high-quality guitars on Earth.

In his company’s headquarters, master luthier Bruno Bacci personally adjusts the tension and intonation on each instrument before it leaves the shop, ensuring maximum vibration and sound definition on every electric guitar, bass and baritone guitar that bears his name.

The formula has proven to be a hit, as some of the world’s most highly talented guitarists, such as American jazz and funk guitarist Mark Lettieri and Sicilian jazz and rock guitar wizard Matteo Mancuso, count Bacci guitars among their favorites. Bacci guitars are available to non-professionals, but be prepared to shell out at least $5,000-$8,000 for one of these unique, handcrafted instruments.

If simply purchasing a Bacci guitar isn’t enough, the company offers a Bacci Experience in which customers join Bacci in the final stages of the instrument-crafting process while on an immersive journey through the heart of Tuscany.

For more, click here.

Bacci guitars are available at the Chicago Music Exchange.

For more, click here.

Film Festival USA will screen “The Innocents of Florence” at 7 p.m. on May 22 at Harris Hall 107, Northwestern University, 1881 Sheridan Road, Evanston. Directed by David Battistella, the documentary explores the history of the Ospedale degli Innocenti, founded in 1446 as a hospital for young mothers and babies, and the restoration of its logo, the painting “The Madonna of the Innocents.” The concert is free and open to the public. For more, click here.

The Four C Notes will celebrate their 10-year anniversary in 2023 with a series of events throughout the Chicago area. The Midwest’s only tribute group dedicated to recreating the music of Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons, the ensemble was founded by John Michael Coppola, who understudied the role of Frankie Valli for the Broadway hit “Jersey Boys.”

The group’s 2023 season will kick off with a show on May 24 at Metropolis Performing Arts Center in Arlington Heights and culminate on Aug. 6 during the Italian fest in Naperville. Other shows throughout the year will include engagements at the Theatre at the Center in Munster, Indiana; Cantigny Park in Wheaton; the Drendel Ballroom in Huntley; and the Morton Arboretum in Lisle.

“I’m so thrilled at the response we’ve received from our hometown of Chicago over the last 10 years,” Coppola says. “We went from a single request for a one-off event on Aug. 3, 2013, with word of mouth carrying us through the rest of that year. After that, the universe just said, ‘Go with it,’ and we did.”

The group now performs at venues across the country and on cruise ships that travel the globe. “I wouldn’t have ever guessed we’d still be here,” Coppola says. “It’s been quite the ride for sure!”

For details, click here.

Mozart may have been born and raised in Austria, but he was among classical music’s most “Italian” composers, with most of his operas written in the bel canto style and the Italian language. It should come as no surprise that “Mozart Immersive: The Soul of a Genius,” currently on display at Lighthouse ArtSpace Chicago, has deep Italian roots.

The 360-degree audiovisual experience is the brainchild of Artistic Creator Massimiliano Siccardi and Composer and Arranger Luca Longobardi.

“With this piece, we wanted to represent every part of Mozart’s life, from his happy times as a child prodigy and throughout his amazingly prolific career, creating some of the best music ever composed,” Siccardi says. “We want the audience to see the world through Mozart’s eyes, both humanizing him and celebrating his genius and incredible body of work.”

The exhibit melds Mozart’s music, dreamlike AI-generated visuals and footage of live actors on animated backgrounds. Siccardi crafted the imagery and animation for the show, and Longobardi assembled the soundscape.

The Italian duo also created “Immersive Van Gogh,” which saw its U.S. premiere in Chicago and has since been experienced by more than 6 million people in more than 20 cities across North America. They also created several other immersive experiences focusing on the lives and works of renowned artists like Frida Kahlo and Gustav Klimt.

For more, click here.

On Feb. 6, a pair of Lyric Opera favorites, soprano Tamara Wilson and tenor Russell Thomas, teamed up with music director Enrique Mazzola to showcase excerpts from Giuseppe Verdi’s operatic opus. Included were the shimmering overture to “La forza del destino,” favorite arias from “Don Carlos” and “Simon Boccanegra,” and mesmerizing duets from “Aida” and “Otello.” Rarely performed duets and arias rounded out the program, which the Lyric dubbed “Verdi Voices.” That concert is now enshrined on the Lyric website and can be streamed for free.

To view, click here.