This year’s Festival del Sole in Napa Valley will be celebrated in honor of the talented Italian actress Sophia Loren. The famed movie star will be turning 80 years old in September, and so this annual festival will feature music, wine, and plenty of activities to commemorate Loren’s spectacular career.
One of the most exciting, and perhaps the most fitting events taking place, is the concert conducted by Maestro Carlo Ponti who is Sophia Loren’s son. He and his Los Angeles Virtuosi Orchestra will be performing on Saturday, July 19th, proudly representing the city of Los Angeles on the stage.
Maestro Carlo Ponti has made a name for himself in both Europe and the United States. He studied music at the Conductor’s Institute in Hartford, USA, and at the Vienna Music Academy. After working with internationally renowned colleagues such as Andrey Boreyko, Mehli Mehta, and Zubin Mehta in Los Angeles, here he founded his own ensemble in 2013. Since the very beginning, the Los Angeles Virtuosi Orchestra has made their mission to promote the importance of music education by funding and designing activities that encourage learning and creativity, in collaboration with the local community, schools, and other cultural organizations.
The annual Italian summer festival in Napa will mark the LA Virtuosi’s debut with a program that features classical favorites – including the theme from the film Two Women, which earned Sophia Loren the Academy Award for Best Actress – and the world premiere of Sinfonietta per Sofia by celebrated contemporary composer Daniel Brewbaker.
On July 19th, the Los Angeles Virtuosi Orchestra will perform twice: in a concert that is free of charge in the early afternoon, and at the evening event to be presented by Academy Award winner Whoopi Goldberg and to which Sophia Loren will attend.
On both occasions, guests will surely enjoy Maestro Carlo Ponti’s recognized ability to incite great emotion, a passion derived not only from the various orchestras he has conducted throughout his career, such as the Russian National Orchestra, but also from the numerous audiences that have witnessed these exciting performances. In a recent interview, Ponti described what it means to him to be a conductor: “When I conduct I really feel at home and it’s something that I can really make work.”
The Los Angeles Virtuosi orchestral concert at the 2014 Festival del Sole will be accompanied by delicious California wine as well as other musical, operatic, and ballet performances. It will be an opportunity not only to revel in the celebration of Italian culture and lifestyle, but also to pay homage to the life and career of an iconic actress from our beloved Italy.
The LA Virtuosi’s tribute to Sophia Loren will highlight the significance that music has in our lives, and it will show the beautiful connection Maestro Carlo Ponti and his mother have as he conducts in her honor. You don’t want to miss out on the celebration of the summer!
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