Destinations | Escape To Italy: Arcosanti Italian Night [CITYSunTimes July 2011]

Italian Night Details

The Performers

Sonya Lee

Sonya Lee has garnered a reputation amongst audiences as a pianist who plays in the “grand Romantic tradition.” She has performed as a soloist and as a chamber musician at world-renowned concert halls including Carnegie Hall’s Weill Recital Hall, Alice Tully Hall at Lincoln Center and Aoyama Hall in Osaka, Japan to name a few. She also holds a Bachelor of Music in Piano Performance from The Juilliard School where she studied with pianists Emanuel Ax and Oxana Yablonskaya, and currently resides in New York City and Los Angeles.

Melina Kalomas

Melina Kalomas has dazzled audiences as a vocalist and actress at major theaters and concert halls throughout the U.S. and abroad including the Pantages Theater in Los Angeles, the Cadillac Palace Theater in Chicago and The Boston Opera House. Other favorite performances include the National Tour of Camelot (Nimue), Les Miserables (Madeline), and La Bohème with Opera Pacific.

The Menu

Antipasto / Appetizers
Fresh herbs, veggie sticks and ciabatta with beet hummus, green tapenade and white bean dip.

Primo / Entrée
Pasta siciliana with fried eggplants and Arcosanti tomato sauce with fresh basil and dry ricotta cheese slivers.

Secondo / Second entrée option
Baked salmon with creamy dill sauce.

Contorno / Side dishes
Three veggies frittatatas with mushroom, green onions, and zucchini. Baby spinach, green beans, and red peppers salad with Paolo Soleri’s favorite salad dressing.

Dolce / Dessert
Lemon ice with biscotti.

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CITYSunTimes Web Exclusive July 2011 | Read the full SECTION

DESTINATIONS

Escape To Italy: It Is Closer Than You Think!

Photo: Arcosanti Vaults courtesy of CodyR via Flickr

The annual celebration that is Italian Night returns to Arcosanti this month. Guests will enjoy an evening of Italian food and entertainment amidst the stunning architecture of Arcosanti.

Photo Courtesy of Cosanti Foundation

Italian Night 2011 will be held on Saturday, July 9. Arrive at 5pm for a complimentary tour of Arcosanti, followed by dinner at 6pm with the performance at 7:30pm. Italian Night charms guests with family-style Italian food and captivating music in a setting of Italian cypress and olive trees. Dinner is enjoyed outdoors under the dramatic Arcosanti Vaults where pasta is served from festive wheelbarrows in honor of the construction culture at Arcosanti. A performance after dinner will take guests from Italy to France and beyond with works by Puccini, Poulenc, and Edith Piaf performed by pianist Sonya Lee and vocalist Melina Kalomas.
Tickets are $40 for the performance and dinner or $20 for the performance only ($10) students. Dinner reservations required. Call 928.632.7135 or see www.arcosanti.org for tickets and more information. Arcosanti is located midway between Phoenix and Flagstaff at Exit 262 off of I-17 and Route 69 Cordes Junction. Take the Cordes Junction/Prescott turnoff and follow the signs for Arcosanti.
Arcosanti Tower

Photo: Arcosanti Tower courtesy of CodyR via Flickr

Arcosanti is an urban laboratory in the high desert of central Arizona started by Paolo Soleri in 1970 and is an ongoing construction site of the world’s first arcology.