AN INVITATION TO THE OPERETTA

A Journey into the Wonderful World of Operetta
with the Compagnia Lirica Livornese
in collaboration with FirenzeOnStage
at the Teatro Niccolini in Florence
Sunday, November 2nd, at 5:00 p.m.

Invitation to the Operetta brings back to the stage the most beloved arias and duets by Lehár, Ranzato, Lombardo, Costa, and Kálmán — from the sparkling melodies of The Land of Bells (Il Paese dei Campanelli) to the enchanting atmosphere of The Merry Widow (La Vedova Allegra).

With Cosetta Gigli, Matteo Micheli, Paola Pacelli, Massimo Gentili, and Franco Bocci,
conducted by Stefania Casu at the piano.

An elegant and light-hearted afternoon to rediscover the joy and charm of a genre that has made generations of audiences dream.

WORLD LEADERS ON STAGE

Free admission until capacity is reached. To reserve your seat, please email teatroniccolini@firenzeonstage.com

A live conversation with one of the most influential figures in global politics.
Michelle Bachelet, President of Chile from 2006 to 2010 and from 2014 to 2018, Vice-President of Club de Madrid, comes to Florence to speak with Kim Campbell, former Prime Minister of Canada, Member of Club de Madrid and co-founder of the Council of Women World Leaders.

Beyond her historic leadership in Chile, Bachelet has served as the first Executive Director of UN Women and later as United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights. She is now a candidate for the position of UN Secretary General, making her voice more relevant than ever in today’s global debate.

The event, presented by Club de Madrid and the Council of Women World Leaders, will take place in collaboration with FirenzeOnStage at Teatro Niccolini, on Saturday, October 25, 2025, at 8:30 PM.

A rare opportunity to hear a powerful voice in an intimate setting, exploring leadership, equality, and the challenges that shape our world.
Additional participants may be announced soon.

FEARLESS MONK

PROGRAM

Brilliant Corners/Thelonious/San Francisco Holiday (Worry Later)/Trinkle-Tinkle/Monk’s Mood/Two Timer/Misterioso

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Gallop’s Gallop/Ruby, My Dear/Jackie-ing/We See/Bye-Ya/

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Who Knows/Eronel/Little Rootie Tootie/’Round Midnight/Skippy

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Light Blue/Off Minor/Children’s Song/Sixteen

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Pannonica/Ask Me Now/Five Blues Themes (Monk’s Point, North of the Sunset, Raise Four, Ba-lue Bolivar Ba-lues-are, Blues Five Spot, Blue Hawk)/Nutty

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Monk’s Dream/Boo-Boo’s Birthday/Blue Monk/52nd Street Theme

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Work/In Walked Bud/Hackensack/Crepuscule with Nellie/Played Twice/Locomotive/Four In One

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Reflections/Hornin’ In/Green Chimneys/Bemsha Swing/Evidence/Introspection/Combination of Friday the 13th and Oska T.

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Rhythm-a-ning/Let’s Cool One/Stuffy Turkey/Teo/Coming on the Hudson

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Humph/Well, You Needn’t/I Mean You

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Functional/Shuffle Boil/Criss-Cross/Ugly Beauty

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Let’s Call This/Brake’s Sake/Bright Mississippi/Think of One

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A Merrier Christmas/Straight, No Chaser/Epistrophy

Composer/pianist and Steinway Artist Jed Distler gained acclaim early in his career for transcribing jazz piano solos by Art Tatum and Bill Evans. As a pianist championing new music, his recitals have offered premieres of works by Virgil Thomson, Richard Rodney Bennett, Frederic Rzewski, Alvin Curran, Lois V Vierk and many more. His master classes, lecture/demonstrations and work as a sought-after adjudicator have taken him across the United States and throughout Europe.

Distler’s presenting organization ComposersCollaborative, Inc. earned a Guinness Record for world’s largest keyboard ensemble, featuring his works for 175 electronic keyboards. In 2021 Distler embarked on a multi-year project performing all of Mahler’s Symphonies and several Shostakovich Symphonies in four-hand arrangements around the globe, collaborating with Chantal Balestri, Gabriele Baldocci, Martina Frezzotti, Stewart Goodyear, Allison Brewster Franzetti, Drew Petersen, Cristian Sandrin, Risto-Matti Marin and Massimo Giuseppe Bianchi. He currently is composing 1,827 Bagatelles for the 2027 Beethoven anniversary year. Distler has recorded prolifically for the high-resolution Steinway Spirio player piano, while TNC Music released Distler’s solo piano CD Fearless Monk (available from Bandcamp).

His fall 2025 tour has included recitals and master classes in London, the Sibelius Academy in Helsinki, PianoEspoo Festival, the Guido Agosti Piano Series in Forlì, the Modena Conservatory of Music and the University of California. As Artist-in-Residence for WWFM.Org – The Classical Network, Distler is the creator, host and producer of the 2017 ASCAP Deems Taylor Virgil Thomson Award radio program Between the Keys. He also hosts The Piano Maven, a friendly podcast guide to piano recordings, and was a television commentator during the recent 19th International Warsaw Chopin Competition. Distler contributes reviews and articles to Gramophone and ClassicsToday.com, and has written numerous CD booklet notes for Sony/BMG and Universal Classics. Visit www.jeddistler.com.

OPERA SUPERSTAR CHARLES CASTRONOVO IN CONCERT

 

INTERNATIONAL OPERA SUPERSTAR CHARLES CASTRONOVO

Superstar Tenor from the stages of The Metropolitan Opera to La Scalas And Maggio Musicale Fiorentino

 
and special guest GUEST JUANA SHTREPI, soprano
with HERSHEY FELDER at the piano
 

ITALIAN, SICILIAN and NEAPOLITAN FAVORITE SONGS

From Tosti to Puccini and more! A thrilling evening with one of the most beautiful and expressive voices in the world!

CHARLES CASTRONOVO, Tenor
Born in New York, Charles Castronovo made his debut at the Metropolitan Opera of New York in the role of Beppe (Pagliacci). He soon found himself cast in other roles, including Fenton (Falstaff), Don Ottavio (Don Giovanni), Ferrando (Così fan tutte), Tamino (Die Zauberflöte), Nemorino (L’elisir d’amore), Alfredo Germont (La Traviata), the title role in Faust, Rodolfo (La Bohème), Nadir (Les Pêcheurs de perles), Belmonte (Die Entführung aus dem Serail), the Duke of Mantua (Rigoletto), Tom Rakewell (The Rake’s Progress), Elvino (La sonnambula), Edgardo (Lucia di Lammermoor).

In 2010, in Los Angeles, he portrayed the title role in Daniel Catán’s opera Il Postino for its creation, alongside Plácido Domingo.

In recent years he has performed the roles of Roméo (Roméo et Juliette) in New York, Don José (Carmen) in Berlin and Chicago, Faust (La Damnation de Faust) in Salzburg, Nemorino in Chicago, Rodolfo in New York, Berlin and Munich, Pinkerton (Madama Butterfly) in Munich, Vienna and Madrid, Alfredo Germont in New York, Don Ottavio in London, Des Grieux (Manon) in Vienna, and Jason (Médée) in Berlin.

He performed the role of Riccardo / Gustavo (Un ballo in maschera) in Munich and New York, the title roles of both Don Carlo in Italian in Munich and Don Carlos in French in Geneva, and the role of Gabriele Adorno (Simon Boccanegra) at the Salzburg Festival, Opéra de Paris and for his debut at la Scala in 2024.

He recently had his role debut as Cavaradossi (Tosca) in Munich and released a recording of a world premiere orchestration of Puccini songs, I Canti, with the Bayerische Rundfunk Orchestra on the BR Klassik label.

Future projects include the release of a full recording of Ernani on BR Klassik, a role debut as Max in Der Freischütz with the Kammerakademie Potsdam, the title role of Don Carlos in French at Opéra de Paris, and a full recording of Verdi’s Requiem with the Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia.

JUANA SHTREPI, Soprano

She earned her Bachelor’s Degree in Opera Singing and then her Master’s Degree at the Conservatory “F.A. Bonporti” in Trento, and perfected her training by attending the Opera Theater Academy of Tirana with soprano Ermonela Jaho, the Opera Theater Academy of Bologna, the Maggio Musicale Fiorentino Academy, and with maestros Matteo Pais and Dario Russo in collaboration with the “Rame Lahaj International Opera Festival”.

She has performed as a soloist in several productions, including “La Traviata” (G. Verdi) at the Municipal Theater “Ruggiero Ruggieri” in Guastalla in November 2023 in the role of Violetta Valéry, “Don Giovanni” (W.A. Mozart) at the Teatro Sociale of Trento in September 2023 in the role of Donna Anna, and the same opera in the role of Donna Elvira at the Saluzzo Opera Academy in August 2022.

Among the many awards she has won are the 1st Prize at the International Opera Competition “Ismaele Voltolini” and the 1st Prize at the International Opera Competition “Monterosso al Mare”, the 2nd Prize at the Marie Kraja International Opera Competition, the 2nd Prize at the Mimas International Music Festival, the 3rd Prize at the Capri Opera Festival, and the title of Best Promising Young Artist at the International Opera Competition “Anita Cerquetti.”

GIADA VALENTI “Songs From The Movies & Pictures”

GIADA VALENTI, known for her performances across America in prestigious venues such as The Smith Center in Las Vegas and Carnegie Hall in New York, presents her show 

“Songs from the Movies”

A concert featuring unforgettable songs from famous movies like Barbie, James Bond, Cinema Paradiso, Pretty Woman, The Greatest Showman, The Twilight Saga, The Wizard of Oz, and many more.

Giada Valenti, renowned for her performances across America in prestigious venues such as The Smith Center in Las Vegas and Carnegie Hall in New York, presents her show “Songs from the Movies.” This concert is filled with one hit after another, featuring unforgettable and award-winning songs such as “What Was I Made For” from Barbie, “Skyfall” from James Bond, “Moon River” from Breakfast at Tiffany’s, “Se” from Cinema Paradiso, “A Thousand Years” from The Twilight Saga, “Somewhere Over The Rainbow” from The Wizard of Oz, “When You Wish Upon A Star” from Pinocchio, “It Must Have Been Love” from Pretty Woman, “A Million Dreams” from The Greatest Showman, and many others. It’s a romantic, fun, and exciting show for all ages, where the songs are accompanied by videos featuring unforgettable scenes from the movies.

Giada Valenti was born and raised in Portogruaro (VE) in Italy. Since 2005, she has lived in the United States, from NYC to Los Angeles, and since 2019, she resides in Las Vegas. Among her most notable achievements is a successful television special aired on American television, titled “From Venice with Love.” Giada debuted as a headliner in Las Vegas in 2017 at the prestigious The Smith Center for the Performing Arts. She made her debut at the famous Carnegie Hall in New York City in 2018 with her concert “Amore Y Amor,” a tribute to Italian and Spanish music, where she returned by popular demand in 2019 for a concert titled “An evening with Giada Valenti.” She had the honor of performing alongside Andrea Bocelli in a concert benefiting his foundation.

Giada has released several albums, such as “And I Love You So,” “Italian Signorina,” “My Lullaby,” and “From Venice with Love.” In 2022, she also debuted as a television presenter for ABC7 in New York, where she has since become one of the co-hosts of the famous Columbus Day Parade, the largest celebration of Italian culture in the United States. Additionally, in November 2023, Giada released her highly anticipated Christmas album, “Love Under The Christmas Tree,” featuring duets with country music icons like Vince Gill, Trace Adkins, and Johnny Reid in collaboration with the prestigious Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and recorded at the famous Abbey Road Studios in London and Capitol Studios in Los Angeles.

CALIGULA, THE ULTIMATE CUT (2023)

FOR THE FIRST TIME SINCE FILMING THE MOVIE in 1979, the stars, MALCOLM MCDOWELL and HELLEN MIRREN will appear together on stage in an audience discourse following the presentation. 

Never before in history has a controversial film been completely re-edited and restored with  original unseen footage, excising the spurious sex scenes that destroyed the film’s original towering performances by Malcom McDowell and Helen Mirren. 
 
 
IN ENGLISH WITH ITALIAN SUBTITLES.
 

In 2019, art historian Thomas Negovan undertook an ambitious project to “rescue” Caligula’s reputation. Re-edited completely from previously unreleased footage, Negovan reconstructed the film to properly present Gore Vidal and Tinto Brass’s original vision of the transformative perversity of power. The 1980 release was notoriously hijacked by Penthouse magazine owner Bob Guccione, one of the wealthiest men in America at the time, who envisioned a “new kind of art film” but ultimately discarded the plot in favor of disconnected pornographic elements.

Malcolm McDowell, the film’s Caligula, shares:
“It’s Tinto Brass’s movie, then Guccione took hold. He recut the movie but didn’t care about continuity or story. He just wanted names above the title in porn. That’s what he got. It became a scandal. Unfortunately, nobody saw the movie that I made and it really depressed me. We’re going back 47 years, but critics would say: ‘Why would Malcolm McDowell do this pile of crap?’ Why indeed? The answer is: I didn’t do that pile of crap. It was rejiggered by a pornographer who had an eye for money.”

Critics are calling McDowell’s performance in Caligula: The Ultimate Cut a complete revelation, and one of the best of his career. This unprecedented reconstruction presents the complete performances of Malcolm McDowell as Caligula and Helen Mirren as Caesonia for the first time, and features many voices which were overdubbed in the 1980 release, most notably the complete vocal performance of Teresa Ann Savoy as Caligula’s sister, Drusilla and a powerful never-before-seen monologue performed by Sir John Gielgud.

Not one frame from the nefarious 1980 release was used: the three-hour film is composed entirely of unseen takes, extended footage, and over an hour of scenes that were left on the cutting room floor. Helen Mirren’s role substantially increases, from under ten minutes of screen time in the 1980 release to nearly an hour in The Ultimate Cut.

“Caligula: The Ultimate Cut” was invited to premiere as an official selection at the 2023 Cannes Film Festival, was subsequently ranked in the Guardian (UK) as the number 5 film on their list of the best films about Ancient Rome, and was honored with an honorable mention on LA Weekly’s prestigious Top Ten Films of 2024.

“What is coming out is not a re-edit so much as a new film. There’s not one frame of the Guccione Caligula, the old one. The new one was put together by this incredibly talented guy called Tom Negovan. Negovan’s Caligula is very much the movie I thought I was making with Tinto Brass.”
— Malcolm McDowell

Featuring the talents of Helen Mirren as Empress Caesonia, Peter O’Toole and John Gielgud as Emperor Tiberius and his advisor Nerva, and Malcolm McDowell (A Clockwork Orange) as Caligula, audiences can witness the latest incarnation of Rome’s most infamous tyrant:

“Caligula: The Ultimate Cut“,
on September 23rd at Teatro Niccolini,
with Malcolm McDowell and Helen Mirren in conversation following the movie
for their first ever public discussion about the film.

Q&A moderated by Taylor Hackford.

Piano Super Virtuoso ANTHONY RATINOV – 22/7 AT 20:30

PROGRAM

Frédéric Chopin:
Waltz in A-flat Major, Op. 42
Nocturne in B Major, Op. 62, No. 1
Etude in B minor, Op. 25, No. 10
Polonaise in F-sharp minor, Op. 44
Ballade No. 3 in A-flat Major, Op. 47

~INTERMISSION~

Frédéric Chopin:
Mazurkas, Op. 17
Impromptu No. 1 in A-flat Major, Op. 29
Impromptu No. 2 in F-sharp Major, Op. 36
Scherzo No. 3 in C-sharp minor, Op. 39
 

Hailed for his “unwavering energy and precision” (La Scena Musicale), American pianist Anthony Ratinovcaptivates audiences worldwide, commanding the stage with “class, style, technical mastery, and solo prowess” (Beckmesser).

Ratinov is the recent winner of the 3rd Prize at the prestigious 2024 Concours Musical International de Montréal, where he was praised for his “striking confidence in taking risks” and for his ability to “go beyond the virtuoso challenge and have fun with the music” (Le Devoir). Ratinov also won the 2nd Prize at the 2025 National U.S. Chopin Competition, and in 2023 won the 2nd Prize at the Busoni International Piano Competition with his performance of Prokofiev’s Third Piano Concerto, lauded for “sporting a pianism at the highest level… with admirable dexterity and stainless precision” (L’Ape Musicale).

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Some of Ratinov’s additional honors include the 1st Prize at the 2023 Ricard Viñes International Piano Competition, the 2nd Prize and Audience Favorite Prize at the 2023 València Iturbi International Piano Competition, and the 2nd Prize at the 2022 Olga Kern International Piano Competition.

Anthony began his musical journey at the age of four under the tutelage of his grandmother, Edit Ratinova, who taught at the renowned Gnessin Music School in Moscow, Russia for 45 years and was a student of the school’s founder, Elena Fabianovna Gnesina. Anthony is currently pursuing an Artist Diploma at The Juilliard School in the studio of Robert McDonald. He completed his graduate studies at the Yale School of Music studying with Boris Berman and Boris Slutsky, and previously studied at Yale University, where he majored in chemical engineering and graduated with honors, in addition to studying piano with Wei-Yi Yang.

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Anthony has appeared as a soloist with orchestras across Europe and North America, including a recent sold-out performance of Chopin’s F minor Piano Concerto at Barcelona’s iconic Palau de la Música Catalana. His solo concert tours have spanned the Netherlands, Spain, Italy, and the United States, with appearances at renowned venues such as Amsterdam’s The Royal Concertgebouw, Vienna’s ORF RadioKulturhaus, and Washington D.C.’s Kennedy Center.

A celebrated and sought-after chamber musician, Anthony has won several prestigious chamber music competitions with the piano trio, Trio Ondata – including the 1st Prize and Audience Favorite Prize at the 2023 Chamber Music in Yellow Springs Competition, and the Silver Medal at the 2022 Fischoff Chamber Music Competition. Anthony regularly participates in music festivals throughout the year, including appearances at the Four Seasons Chamber Music Festival, the Taos School of Music, and the Bowdoin International Music Festival. Anthony’s debut album, “Horizons”, featuring works by Albéniz, Scriabin, Busoni, and Bach, was released in 2024 under KNS Classical.

THE SOUND OF MUSIC 60th ANNIVERSARY SCREENING, WITH THE CAST OF THE FILM!

TAKE PART IN THE 60th ANNIVERSARY SCREENING OF THE ICONIC MOVIE “THE SOUND OF MUSIC” WITH SPECIAL GUESTS FOR AN AUDIENCE TALKBACK – THE CHILDREN OF THE MOVIE!

 
The 60th anniversary screening of THE SOUND OF MUSIC film, with special guests: cast members who played the children in the movie!
 
ARTISTS IN ATTENDANCE
 
Angela Cartwright (Brigitta von Trapp)
 
Debra Turner (Marta von Trapp)
 
Nicholas Hammond (Friedrich von Trapp)
 
Duane Chase (Kurt von Trapp)
 
Kym Karath (Gretl von Trapp)
 

Based on the 1949 memoir The Story of the Trapp Family Singers by Maria von Trapp and is set in Salzburg, Austria.

 

THE SOUND OF MUSIC film is a fictional retelling of nun Maria von Trapp’s experience as governess to seven children, her eventual marriage to their father Captain Georg von Trapp, and the family’s escape from Salzburg during the Anschluss of 1938.

 

Beautifully realized as a film produced and directed by the great Robert Wise, with a script by Ernest Lehman, this iconic film is based on the 1959 stage musical composed by Richard Rodgers, with lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II and a book by Lindsay and Crouse is beloved throughout the entire world.

SUPERVIRTUOSO PIANO CONCERT, WITH INNA FALIKS

PROGRAM 

 

“Basso Ostinato” – Rodion Shchedrin (b.1932)

 

“Barcarolle (June)” Op.37 no. 6 – Tchaikovsky (1840-1893)

 

“Fantasia on an Ostinato” –  John Corigliano (b. 1938)

 

“Fantasie op 77” – Beethoven (1770-1827)

 

“Black Earth” – Fazil Say (b. 1970)

 

“Gaspard de la Nuit” – Maurice Ravel (1875-1937)

Ondine

Le Gibet

Scarbo

“Adventurous and passionate” (The New Yorker) Ukrainian-born pianist Inna Faliks has established herself as one of the most communicative, and poetic artists of her generation. She has made a name for herself through commanding performances of standard piano repertoire, as well genre-bending, interdisciplinary projects, and inquisitive work with contemporary composers. Her new memoir, Weight in the Fingertips, A Musical Odyssey from Soviet Ukraine to the World Stage, was published by Globe Pequot Press in October 2023.

Ms. Faliks’s distinguished career has brought thousands of recitals and concerts throughout the US, Asia, and Europe. Recent seasons have included performances at Alice Tully Hall, National Sawdust, Ravinia Festival, National Gallery of Art, the Wallis Annenberg Center, Oji Hall in Tokyo, tours of China, with appearances in all of its major halls including the Beijing Center for Performing Arts, Shanghai Oriental Arts Theater and Tianjin Grand Theater; debuts at the Festival Internacional de Piano in Mexico, the Fazioli Series in Italy, Israel’s Tel Aviv Museum, Portland Piano Festival, Camerata Pacifica and a collaboration with the contemporary dance company, Bodytraffic at the Broad Stage. She has performed at Carnegie Hall’s Weill Concert Hall and many more.

 

Inquisitive and versatile, Inna Faliks has had a strong commitment to contemporary music, giving premieres of works composed for and dedicated to her by Timo Andres, Billy Childs, Richard Danielpour, Paola Prestini, Ljova, Clarice Assad, Peter Golub.

 

Faliks created a one-woman show “Polonaise-Fantasie, Story of a Pianist”, an autobiographical monologue for pianist and actress, premiered in New York’s Symphony Space and performed worldwide. Inna Faliks has been featured on radio and television throughout the world; she is founder and curator of Music/Words, an award-winning poetry-music series: performances in collaboration with distinguished poets. 

 

Her CD releases, Reimagine: Beethoven and Ravel on Navona Records and The Schumann Project Volume 1, on MSR Classics, received rave reviews, and were named to several “best of 2021” lists. With her all-Beethoven CD release on MSR, WTTW called Faliks “High priestess of the piano, concert pianist of the highest order, as dramatic and subtle as a great stage actor.” Sound of Verse, was released in 2009, featuring music of Boris Pasternak, Rachmaninoff and Ravel. “Polonaise-Fantasie, Story of a Pianist” on Delos captures her autobiographical monologue-recital with short piano works from Bach to Carter.

 

A past winner of many prestigious competitions, Inna Faliks is currently Professor of Piano and Head of Piano at UCLA. She is in demand as Artist Teacher and is frequently invited to judge competitions and give masterclasses at major conservatories and universities. As a writer, she has been published by the LA Times and Washington Post. During Covid, she started a weekly online recital series, Corona Fridays, featuring children’s concerts, new music, and poetry.

VENETIAN SINGING SENSATION, GIADA VALENTI in CONCERT

In “The Italian Heart of the American Songbook”, internationally acclaimed singer Giada Valenti invites you to discover the surprising, emotional, and often little-known stories behind the music that shaped generations.

This unique concert experience is more than a performance—it’s a journey through memories, emotions, and hidden legacies. 

 

Giada takes you behind the curtain, revealing how Italian lyricists, composers, and musicians quietly left their mark on the American and international music scene. From a fisherman in Naples who unknowingly wrote a tune that would echo across the globe, to a young Venetian whose melody would become a global anthem, these are stories of passion, fate, and musical genius.

 

With songs made famous by Ella Fitzgerald, Elvis Presley, Frank Sinatra, Etta James, Édith Piaf, Tom Jones, and Shirley Bassey – from the glitz of Hollywood to the bright lights of Broadway, the Italian touch helped shape the very soundtrack of American life. 

Giada Valenti was born and raised near Venice, Italy. However, she moved to the United States in 2005 and has been residing in Las Vegas since 2019. Giada is well-known for her breathtaking PBS special, “From Venice with Love,” which can be found at www.formvenicewithlove.com.

She made her debut as a headliner in Las Vegas in November 2017, performing at The Smith Center for the Performing Arts. In October 2018, Giada performed at Carnegie Hall in New York City, and due to popular demand, she returned to the venue in 2019. One of her most significant highlights was being asked to sing alongside Andrea Bocelli at a concert benefiting his foundation.

Giada has released several albums, including “And I Love You So,” “Italian Signorina,” “My Lullaby,” and “From Venice with Love.”

Additionally, Giada also co-hosted for ABC7 the Columbus Day Parade in New York in 2022, 2023, and 2024.