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Home , Callas Forever, Ennio Guarnieri, Giacomo David, Giancarlo del Monaco, Giuseppe Rotunno, Luciano Damiani

INTERNATIONAL CENTRE FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS

BIOGRAPHIES

Gianni Letta: Honorary President of the non-profit Fondazione

Avezzano (L’Aquila) 15/04/1935. Lives in . Journalist – Holds a degree in Law. After working for a few years in Forensics at his father’s law firm, he moved into the field of advocacy journalism, something he had already experimented with while in high school and at university as a Correspondent for the Province, first in Avezzano then in L’Aquila, where he served as Correspondent at some national daily newspapers, including Rai and Ansa. In 1958, he moved to Rome to become Editor of the daily Il Tempo, where we gained experience in all types of reporting, particularly foreign coverage, before taking over the helm of the Province’s Newsroom and the Editorial Administration as Editor-in-Chief. In 1971, Renato Angiolillo appointed him Managing Director of Il Tempo, and later, being a member of the Board of Directors, he took on the responsibility of CEO of S.E.R. Società Editoriale Romana and TI.CO. Tipografica Colonna, publisher and printer, respectively, of the Roman newspaper. On August 16, 1973, upon the death of Senator Angiolillo, he took over Management of Il Tempo, a post he held for almost 15 years, until the end of 1987. From 1973 to 1987, was both CEO and Director of the Roman newspaper, which he eventually left when he undertook managerial and journalistic responsibilities at Fininvest and on the Board of Directors at Mondadori. As Vice-President of Fininvest Communicazioni, he represented the company in Rome, with the responsibility and management of the Roman office. As Editorial Director of Fininvest – Mediaset, he oversaw the coordination of the company’s communications activity. He managed and hosted television programs, particularly “Italia Domanda” on Canale 5, a weekly program featuring political-cultural debates on problems in national and international business. For many years, he was Head of the Press Office at the Federazione Nazionale dei Cavalieri del Lavoro, and later Head of the Office of Research and Documentation at the Ente Palazzo della Civiltà del Lavoro, for whom he edited a series of volumes on economic and social problems. He was Undersecretary to the Presidency of the Council of Ministers during all four Berlusconi administrations (1994-1995; 2001-2005; 2005-2006; 2008-2011).

Giuseppe Corsi Zeffirelli: Vice-President of the non-profit Fondazione Franco Zeffirelli

Born in 1948 and the adopted son of Franco Zeffirelli, Giuseppe Corsi Zeffirelli Pisciotto – better known as Pippo Zeffirelli – is today the Vice President of the non-profit Fondazione Franco Zeffirelli. His has spent a large part of his professional life in the world of film and television, alongside Franco Zeffirelli, with whom he got his start as an assistant director in 1977 for Jesus of Nazareth. In 1977, he was the assistant director to Francis Girod for the film Rene the Cane and to Zeffirelli again for The Champ (1979). In 1981, he acted as associate producer on Endless Love and production manager for and (1982), also with Zeffirelli. In 1984 and 1985, he worked beside and James Ivory, who wanted him as assistant director for Room with a View. From 1986 to 2009, he stayed with Master Zeffirelli. In 1986, he was assistant director for Othello, associate producer for (1988), (1999) and (2002) and executive producer for the documentary Omaggio a Roma (2009).

Caterina D’Amico: Artistic Consultant

Born in Rom on September 16, 1948, daughter of Fedele d’Amico (historian and music critic) and Suso Cecchi d’Amico (screenwriter). She enrolled in the Philosophy department at the University of Rome La Sapienza, as well as some courses in social sciences at the University of East Anglia in Norwhich (GB). In 1970, she was hired by RAI, but she quit after five months. After this short stint, she worked as a freelancer in the theatre field. From 1972 to 1976, she was a theatre coordinator in Rome. From 1974 to 1980, she found herself at The Festival of the Two Worlds in Spoleto and Charleston (USA). From 1974 to 1980, she served as assistant director for twelve theatre and productions, four of which were with Giorgio De Lullo. A radio personality and writer of television programs, she has published essays in Italian and foreign magazines and volumes, as well as several books on theatre production, fashion and costume design. Since 1976, she has staged forty documentary exhibitions on the performing arts and has edited their catalogues, some of which are veritable monographs. In addition to , her exhibitions have been staged in many countries around the world: France, Switzerland, Sweden, Greece, Portugal, the United States, Canada, Argentina and Japan. She has organized and managed cinematographic expositions and retrospectives in Italy and abroad. From September 1988 to August 1994, she was Subcommissioner of the Experimental Cinematography Centre for Education and cultural rapports. From 1998 to 1999, she as a member of the Board of Directors at the Experimental Cinematography Centre Foundation, and from February 1999 to July 2007, she was Head of the National Film School at the Experimental Cinematography Centre. Throughout her time with the institution, she dedicated much energy to bringing the Experimental Cinematography Centre to the international stage. From October 1993 to May 2000, she was President of the European Grouping of Film and Television Schools GEECT. In May 2000, she was elected President of the International Association of Film and Television Schools, a post she held until November 2008. From 1996 to 2000, she collaborated with as associate producer in every phase of the creation of his documentary on the history of Italian cinema, My Voyage to Italy. In 1998, she was a Founding Partner of the “Théatre des Italiens” Foundation, of which she was President until 2002. From 2005-2006, she was part of the Advisory Committee of the Cinematography – Feature Film Section. Between July 2007 and July 2010, she was CEO of RAI Cinema. From February 2011 to December 2014, she directed the Casa del Cinema in Rome. From 2013 to 2016, she was President of the Silvio d'Amico National Academy of Dramatic Arts. Since January 2013, she is once again the Head of the National Film School at the Experimental Cinematography Centre. She has dedicated many years to the study of ’s works, which she has written several essays and books about. She is currently the scientific director of the Luchino Visconti archive, located at the Fondazione Istituto Gramsci.

Maestro Carlo Savi: Head of Scenography Course

Born in , he studied scenography at the Istituto d’Arte Paolo Toschi and the Accademia di Belle Arti in , where he graduated in 1966 under the guidance of Tito Varisco. He kept busy as a scenographer and costumer in theatres across Italy (Parma, , , ) and abroad (Bregenz Festival, Strasbourg Opera House, Teatro Nacional de São Carlos in Lisbon, Cultural Center in Seoul), collaborating with a variety of directors and choreographers, particularly , Giancarlo Menotti, Filippo Crivelli, Carlo Lizzani, Alberto Negrin, Graziella Sciutti, Beppe Menegatti, Vittorio Biagi, Hugo de Ana, Giorgio Pressburger, Mario Pistoni, Flavio Ambrosini, Giorgio Belledi and Lamberto Puggelli. From 1970 to the early 1980s, he was a steady collaborator with the Teatro della Scala in Milan, eventually earning an invitation from the superintendent Paolo Grassi to work as Stage Director, substituting his mentor Tito Varisco. At the Arena, he staged Madame Butterfly by , Giovanna d’Arco by at the Teatro Filarmonico and, in 1995, at the Teatro Romano, A Midsummer Night’s Dream by Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy, with and directed by Beppe Menegatti. In 1981, he inaugurated the theatre productions at the Verona Arena ( by Giuseppe Verdi, directed by Carlo Lizzani) and, from 1994 to 1999, he served as Stage Director at the venue. He served in the same role at the Teatro Carlo Felice in (1999-2002) and at the Teatro dell’Opera di Roma (2005-2007; 2010-2014), overseeing the production of major performances and coordinating their visual and stagecraft aspects with well-known Theatre and Cinema directors, as well as set and costume designers.

Mariaelisa Nannini: Head of the Library and Archive

Mariaelisa Nannini was born in Grosseto.

Holding a degree in Literature, she is specialized in archival and book heritage, with a thesis on celebrity archives and in particular, that of , located at the Fondazione Gramsci in Rome. As an archivist, she has been dedicated since the beginning to reorganizing Franco Zeffirelli’s archive, overseeing an initial filing of the paper and photographic materials. She was assistant editor of the volume Franco Zeffirelli, Complete Works. Theatre, Opera, Film, edited by Caterina Napoleone, Thames & Hudson, 2010. She also works with the archives of some of the largest Italian celebrities in theatre, fashion and culture, collaborating on the reorganizing and filing of the archives of Luigi Squarzina and Lucio Lombardo Radice, conserved at the Fondazione Gramsci in Rome. She worked with the Fondazione Roberto Capucci as director of the archive and with the Fondazione Tirelli Trappetti, where she oversaw the archival and book materials. She is currently reorganizing the personal archive of costume designer Nanà Cecchi. She has participated in staging exhibitions dedicated to the work and artistic and cultural milieu of Luchino Visconti: Once Upon a Time in Sicily: 50 Years of “The Leopard” curated by Caterina d’Amico, , 2013; Luchino Visconti and His Time, Rome, 2006; and Viscontiana. Luchino Visconti and the Verdi Drama, curated by Caterina d’Amico, Parma, 2001. In the library field, she collaborated and collaborates still with several public and private libraries, including the Library of the Fondazione Luciano Bianciardi and the Centro di Documentazione Arti Visive – Clarisse Arte in Grosseto.

Daniele Nannuzzi: Lighting designer

Daniele Nannuzzi was born in Rome in 1949. He began his career as an assistant to his father Armando on the film Misunderstood by Luigi Comencini (1966). After working beside some of the biggest directors of the era, in 1972 he served as camera operator for Appassionata, produced by Tonino Cervi. Alongside cinematographers like Giuseppe Rotunno, , , Franco di Giacomo, David Watkins and Alex Thompson, he led the photography and direction of the second episode of Jesus of Nazareth by Franco Zeffirelli, with whom he would collaborate again on Cavalleria Rusticana and Pagliacci (1982), Young Toscanini (1988), Toscana (1991) and Omaggio a Roma (2009). He worked with directors such as Carlo Lizzani, Tinto Brass, Alejandro Jodorowski, Sergej Fëdorovič Bondarčuk, Tonino Cervi, Mauro Bolognini, Andrea and Antonio Frazzi and Alberto Negrin, as well as Enzo Monteleone, with whom he worked on four films. For El Alamein - The Line of Fire (2002), he received a , Globo D’Oro and the “Gianni di Venanzo” Award and was nominated for a Nastro d’Argento in 2003.

Francesco Ermini Polacci: Co-director and Artistic Director of Musical Activities

Cultural coordinator, journalist, music critic and historian, teacher. He completed his musical studies at the Music Schools of Sesto Fiorentino and Fiesole and graduated with honours with a degree in Literature at the University of . After organizing the inaugural concert for the new Opera del Duomo Museum in Florence (2015), he is now the artistic director and creator of “Note al Museo,” an internationally renowned concert program held in the museum’s Sala del Paradiso. Communications supervisor and music consultant for the Amici della Musica in Florence (1998 – 2017), he also oversaw the artistic direction of some successful editions of the “Settembre Musica” festival hosted by the same association (2006-2013). Music critic for the Corriere Fiorentino and writer for the Tuscan section of Corriere della Sera, he also writes for several specialized magazines, including Amadeus and Il Giornale della Musica. He has collaborated since its foundation with the noted radio station Rete Toscana Classica. He previously taught the music criticism workshop offered by the Department of Humanities (DAMS) at the University of Florence, and since 2011, he has held a course on the History of Opera at the Università dell’Età Libera in Florence. At the European University Institute in Florence, he has led a cycle of lessons titled “Music in cinema/music about cinema”. As an essayist, he collaborates as a conference speaker and organizer with institutions such as the Teatro del Maggio Musicale Fiorentino, the Sagra Musicale Umbra, the Amici della Musica di Perugia, the Chigiana Musical Academy in Siena and Stanford University. For the publishing house De Agostini, he has authored historical-educational texts for the series “Classica in vinile – 33 giri,” which can be found on the newsstands. His biography is included in the Dizionario della Musica e dei Musicisti.

Carlo Centolavigna: Curator and Head of Museum Exhibits

He began his professional career with Maestro Franco Zeffirelli (, Teatro alla Scala, 1983) and with Maestro Luciano Damiani (Lulu by A. Berg, Maggio Musicale Fiorentino, 1985). With Zeffirelli, he was Assistant Set Designer for the productions of Traviata at the Maggio Musicale Fiorentino; Turandot, and Traviata at the MET in New York; Don Carlo at the Scala; and Pagliacci, Bohème and at the Opera di Roma. Since 1997, he has been a Collaborating Scenographer with the Maestro (Aida at the New National in Tokyo; , Il Trovatore, and Madama Butterly at the Verona Arena; Pagliacci in ; Aida at the Scala; and Traviata and at the Opera di Roma). In 1990, he was behind the set design for Traviata and Elisir d’amore at the Ventidio Basso in Ascoli Piceno; Iphigénie en Aulide, Carmen, and The Barber of Seville at the theatres of Piacenza and ; and Orfeo ed Euridice at the Massimo in Palermo. In 2006, he designed the scenery for Tosca at the Opèra Royal de Wallonie. Since 2005, he has also collaborated with Maestro Giancarlo Del Monaco on Andrea Chénier at the Comunale di , and led Francesca da Rimini in , by Rossini at the Rossini Opera Festival, Mefistofele at the Massimo in Palermo and in Zurich. In 2009, he oversaw the scenography of a new production of Andrea Chénier at the Opéra National de , directed by M° Del Monaco, and collaborated on Falstaff at the Opera di Roma, the inaugural production of the 2010 season with M° Zeffirelli. In 2010, he collaborated with Maestro Zeffirelli on the opera Turandot at the Verona Arena, as well as headed the scenography of Don Carlo in Bilbao, directed by M° Del Monaco. In 2011, he did the same for Francesca da Rimini at the Opéra National De Paris. In April 2011, at the Teatro Verdi in Trieste, he worked on Francesca da Rimini and in June that same year, he was in Seville at the Teatro de la Maestranza for Don Carlo. In September 2011, he served as a collaborating scenographer for Turandot by M° Zeffirelli in Oman. In June 2012, he collaborated again with Maestro Zeffirelli for the opera Don Giovanni, staged at the Verona Arena. In 2013, he designed the scenery for the ballet , with choreography by Luciano Cannito. In 2014, he was behind the scenery of the opera Manon Lescaut at the Opera di Roma, directed by Chiara Muti, and in May of that year, he oversaw the set designs for Gianni Schicchi and Elisir d’amore at the Piacenza Theatre, directed by Leo Nucci. In 2015, he designed the scenery for the opera L’Amico Fritz and, in Bilbao, Don Carlo. In 2016, he went to Toulon for the performances of Tosca and A Masked Ball. On September 23, 2016, he was awarded Best Set Designer at the International Opera Awards. In 2017, he staged Don Carlo at the Opera di Firenze. He is currently preparing for the production of Simon Boccanegra and works as the curator and head of museum exhibits at the non-profit Fondazione Zeffirelli in Florence.

Cecilia Sandroni: Head of International Press and Public Relations

After graduating in foreign languages and literature thesis in Elizabethan Theatre and earning a Master’s in Semiotics of Theatre at the Shakespeare Centre in Stratford-upon-Avon, she immediately began her career in the international scene, organizing conferences for professionals from OIC, PRM, ENIC, MIM and YAP in London, New York, Montreal, Toronto, Frankfurt and , acquiring along the way a network of top executive contacts in the culture and performance fields. She also works as a press officer for cultural events like the Florence Biennale, where she collaborates with , Dante Ferretti and Oliviero Toscani. For years, since 1999, she was a consultant for Italia Cinema collaborating with UK Film Council, for which she oversaw its rapports with different Italian companies, including Istituto Luce and Cinecittà Holding. In the same period, she was a consultant for various festivals, programs and exhibitions, including the Cannes Film Festival, the Film Festival Venice Days and the Taormina Film Fest. These experiences solidified her collaboration with companies in the field, such as Lucky Red, Academy, BIM Distribution, Key Film, Minerva Picture and Cecchi Gori, Opera Festival. From 2003 to 2007, she managed the public relations for the prestigious Alinari National Museum of Photography in Florence, for which she was the creator and organizer of several exhibitions, including “Cammina, cammina,” with the support of UNICEF and the President of the Italian Republic, and “Ritratti” and “Figli d’Italia,” also supported by the President of the Italian Republic. She organized the itinerary/exhibition for the Historical Archives of the European Union in Villa Salviati in Florence, which was inaugurated by the President of the Republic Giorgio Napolitano. From 2007 to 2013, she managed the foreign relations for many international exhibitions and events, such as “Verso Expo Milano 2015”. In 2015, she was behind the campaign “Adopt a Work of Art” at the Museo degli Innocenti, for which she also oversaw its creation as Public Relation of Istituto degli Innocenti. From 2013 to 2015, she was the International Public Relations Manager for the pilot project “Toscana Resort Castelfalfi” by TUI AG, a world leader in the tourism sector: an investment of 250 million euro. In 2016 she served as the US Advisor for the American Presidential elections. In addition to PR and cultural work, since 2009, she has also worked in social awareness, which culminated in 2017 with her nomination as “antenna journalist” for OSCE after a training as an observer. Over the years, one prestigious role has followed another, including the International PR for the restoration project of the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem in 2016-2017. The film Restoring the Sky, part of the worldwide communications campaign, won the 2017 “Globo d'Oro” 2017 for Foreign Press, awarded by a jury of international journalists.. She was then chosen to assist with communications within Italy and for the European Events of “The Student Hotel,” a project inspired by the European “concept hotel”: : an investment of 250 million euro. Finally, she began her collaboration with the Fondazione Franco Zeffirelli, for which she has directed the worldwide communications activity in the lead up to the inauguration of the Franco Zeffirelli International Centre for the Performing Arts in Florence in July 2017. For the Franco Zeffirelli Foundation, she is the International PR. Member of the Foreign Press Club of Rome.

Annamaria Barbato Ricci: National Press Relations

Journalist, essayist, communications and press office expert. Lawyer, Master in Intelligence & Security, she has collaborated, among others, with UNIDO, UNICEF, the Presidency of the Council of Ministers, the Ministry of Transportation, the Compagnia di San Paolo, Gruppo MPS, SIMEST, Expo 2015, the international exhibition “The World of Han Meilin” at Ca’ Foscari in Venice and numerous other companies and institutions. She created the anthology Le Italiane (Castelvecchi, 2010) and has participated in drafting the work of Alberto Contri, McLuhan non abita più qui? (Bollati Boringhieri 2017). She was behind some solidarity initiatives of international and national appeal, including: the Italian communication for the worldwide campaign to gather signatures, known as A flower for the women of Kabul (1998); Train for Life; Airplane for Life (1999) in support of the assistance for the Kosovars taking shelter in Albania. She designed, organized and successfully carried out a Charity Auction for Kosovo, with the participation of 120 of the best Couturiers in the world, held on May 28, 1999 at Villa Madama, which was never before open to external events. First Lady Franca Ciampi was in attendance, her first outing since her husband’s election as President of the Republic; she organized a Charity Ball to collect funds for UNICEF in Palermo, with the commemoration of the film The Leopard at Palazzo Butera and the event Premio Chi – Mondadori; the Rosa “Donne d’Italia 150 anni,” created by Antonio Marchese, held in the Rose Garden in Florence. She collaborates with the Fondazione Franco Zeffirelli building rapports with National Institutions.

Benedetta Spada: International Press Relations

International PR, she has lived in for over 20 years. She previously worked in Milan, where she followed corporate communication projects for companies in various fields (such as, Banca Intermobiliare, UniCredit, Symphonia SGR, Fortis, Bruno Magli, Seat PG, Reply, Centrale del Latte di Torino) and financial operations for IPO processes, delistings and takeovers (such as, Alberta Ferretti, Ferretti Yacht, Trussardi, API, Nice). In , she manages international communication for Italian businesses, with a specific focus on the promotion of Made in Italy (such as, Amaro Lucano, Mozzarella Francia, Franciacorta, Brunello Cucinelli, Granitifiandre), and supports international companies in their communication in the Italian market (The Student Hotel, Catharina Mende, Positions Art Fair). In Berlin, she founded Italiens PR, a communications firm, and collaborates with top Italian institutions abroad, including the Italian Embassy, the Italian Chamber of Commerce in Germany and ICE. For the Fondazione Franco Zeffirelli, she followed the international press relations.

Paolo Petrocelli: Head of Institutional Relations and International Relations

He gained many years of experience working in the field of cultural, artistic and musical management in both a national and international setting, with a variety of tasks and roles that have allowed him to stand out with a particularly innovative and dynamic professional profile. Previously a member of the Board of Directors at the Teatro dell’Opera di Roma and the Chigiana Musical Academy Foundation in Siena, he currently holds several institutional responsibilities and managerial roles, notably in the field of cultural diplomacy, international relations and strategic development. Petrocelli is the Co-founder and President of the Youth Committee UNESCO, Founder and President of EMMA for Peace (Euro-Mediterranean Music Academy), a member of the Board of Directors at the Conservatorio di Venezia, a Cultural and Music Diplomacy Officer at the World Summit of Nobel Peace Laureates, Director of Development at the Chigiana Musical Academy Foundation and Assistant to the Superintendent of the Teatro dell’Opera di Roma for International Development. An enthusiastic educator, he is a professor at LUISS and John Cabot University and is Director of the Master of Cultural Management at the Rome Business School. He collaborates with the Fondazione Zeffirelli as Director of Institutional Relations and International Relations.

Annamaria Tossani: General Consultant for food services at the Fondazione and Museum

Annamaria Tossani is the General Consultant for food services at the Fondazione and Museum. Tossani possesses years-long experience in the field, heading a well-known television program about culture, news and eno-gastronomy on Italia7, the most important regional station in Tuscany, and participates in nationally televised programs as a pundit on the art of hosting. Her experiences have been strengthened both by her family’s high-profile legacy and by the passion with which she dedicates herself to examining the many sides of hospitality, making it a true artistic expression. Annamaria Tossani is also an author of books about the relationship between food and art, one of which, I cuochi del Decameron, won the best Tuscan writer award in 2013. She has received numerous additional recognitions and awards, including the title of Cavaliere Ufficiale dell’Arte e del Gusto dell’Antica Confraternita del Sapere e dei Sapori and the Jarro and Piazza dei Chavoli Awards as Ambassador of Tuscan Cooking. She is a member of AGRA Toscana (regional Association of journalists specialized in agriculture, nutrition, the environment, the territory, forests, fishing and renewable energy) and ASET.

Ludovica Santedicola: Manager of the “Tea Room – Bar&Restaurant”

The twenty-three-year-old boasts an impressive resume with a university education and work experiences in food service and event management at the top Tuscan companies in the field. Her company’s name is almost an action plan: “Per Non Dormire” (For Not Sleeping), the ancient motto of the family, a symbol of creativity applied to event management and culinary hospitality.