Casita Maria Center for Arts and Education, which has provided youth and their families high quality education, arts and social programming in East Harlem and the South Bronx for over 80 years, hosted its annual Musicale 2017, on Thursday, April 27, from 6-8pm at a Private Club in New York City. An intimate, elegant evening of performance and conversation featured a performance by renowned baritone Marcelo Guzzo alongside the chorus students of The Gaetana Enders Music Program. Musicale celebrated the students of Casita Maria while raising crucial funds for the Gaetana Enders Music Program. 70 guests attended the event.
[the_ad id=”73945″]
Speakers included Jacqueline Weld Drake (Chairman, Casita Maria Center for Arts and Education); Haydee Morales (Executive Director, Casita Maria Center for Arts and Education);
Anabelle Mariaca (Honorary Chair, Musicale); Elise Thoron (Co-Chair Musicale), Esmeralda Pedroni Spinola (Co-Chair, Musicale) and Tom Enders, son of the late Gaetana Enders.
Other Co-Chairs included: Enrica Arengi Bentivoglio, Isabel Tonelli and Maria Celis Wirth.
Bartitone Marcelo Guzzo performed Argentinian solos, including: “Se equivocó la Paloma,” (Carlos Guastavino); “La roza y el Sauce” (Carlos Guastavino); “Estilo” (Ricardo Storm), and Luche la Fe por el triunfo,” (Moreno Torroba). Together with the children, he performed three songs, including Cole Porter’s “Another Op’nin’, Another Show,” and concluded with Mitch Leigh’s “To Dream the Impossible Dream.”
[the_ad_group id=”2214″]
Notable guests included: Martha Bograd; Alvaro and Rene Domingo with their children Alvaro and Placido; Paola Fendi; Edward P. Gallagher (President, American Scandinavian Foundation); Joumana Rizk; Paola Bacchini Rosenshein and Arthur and Denise Rubenstein (he is the former Dean of the Mount Sinai School of Medicine).
Hors d’oeuvres included: Portobello Mushroom Tempura-truffle dip; Tomato Bruschetta and Tuna Tartar on Crisp Wonton.