A celebration of 200 years of Italian studies at Columbia University, with a musical performance by the Rootless Neapolitans. The Rootless Neapolitans early music ensemble, led by harpsichordist Ben Katz, presents a program dedicated to the legacy of Mozart librettist and Columbia Italian professor Lorenzo da Ponte (1749–1838), with an emphasis on da Ponte’s Jewish heritage and connection to New York.
In 1825, Lorenzo da Ponte, librettist of many of Mozart’s operas, was appointed Professor of Italian Literature at Columbia College, making him the first professor in that field in the United States. In 1927, the department was officially founded at Casa Italiana.
Paulina Francisco, soprano
Clara Abel, cello
Dani Zanuttini Frank, lute/guitar
Ben Katz, harpsichord