News and Past Events

A mix of SPSCA members and Horizon House residents gathered on December 15 to learn about Perugian holiday traditions and sing Christmas carols in Italian at the holiday version of our popular Incontro Musicale sing-along events. SPSCA Board Member and native perugina Elisabetta Valentini regaled us with remarks in Italian and English on her memories of Christmas in Perugia, then SPSCA member pianist Karin McCullough played traditional Italian holiday music for the audience to sing along to. One highlight was a moving solo performance of "Ave Maria" by a professional tenor. "You brought Christmas to us!" one delighted resident commented. Another participant said it had been her favorite holiday event each month. We hope you will join us at an Italian sing-along in 2025!

What a marvelous time SPSCA members had celebrating Natale together with fellow Seattle Italian associations Dante Alighieri Society and Il Punto! The celebration was held at Greenwood Senior Center and included Italian wine, an extraordinary selection of tasty dishes brought by participants, live music, and two rousing rounds of tombola (Italian bingo) with tantalizing prizes.

This event, the first of its kind in this location and as a collaboration with Dante and Il Punto, was completely sold out, indicating that there is an eager appetite for socializing among our membership. It will hopefully be the first of many!

SIFF Cinema Italian Style 2024, held from November 7-14, was a tremendous success. The opening and closing night films were sold out, as was the opening night party, where series pass holders enjoyed drinks, appetizers, and Italian dance music! The lineup of films, from tense historical thrillers to everyday contemporary dramas, was a rich and varied array of what modern Italian cinema has to offer. SPSCA helped found the Italian film festival 16 years ago and has been a devoted partner ever since.

A fantastic time was had by all on October 12 at Caffe Appassionato near Fisherman's Terminal when SPSCA member Karin McCullough, a pianist whose prize possession is a Fazioli grand piano, played Italian and Neapolitan songs on the cafe's baby grand for a sing-along. Karin had printed out lyrics to classics like "Santa Lucia," "Volare," and "Quando Quando Quando," so we could belt out the canzoni with abandon. What a great way to practice Italian pronunciation and make a joyful noise! Please join us at the next Incontro Musicale, December 15, 2:30 pm at Horizon House, for a Natale-themed event!

SANDFORD&GOSTI, a renowned artistic duo from our sister city Perugia, are recognized worldwide for their innovative work. In October we were lucky enough to have them bring their captivating 15-minute bilingual performance "Vocabolario: Construction Grammar Geode 2" to Seattle as part of their acclaimed global journey. An enthusiastic audience at the Women's University Club watched the artists break apart papier-mâché “geodes” made from two iconic dictionaries, the Nuovo Zingarelli and the Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary. Jodi Sandford read random English words from the insides of these geodes, in which the dictionary pages represented the crystal core of volcanic rocks, and Valter Gosti intoned Italian ones, and the artists contrasted Carlo Levi’s idea that “words are stones” with the "sticks and stones" of English proverb. The piece ultimately advocated nonviolence and constructive language.

This performance, part of Giornata del Contemporaneo (Italy's "Day of Contemporary Art") was supported by AMACI (Association of Italian Contemporary Art Museums), the Italian Cultural Institute of San Francisco, and Italy's Ministry of Culture and Ministry of Foreign Affairs, promoting Italian contemporary art worldwide.