The background picture is a full stage shot of Gianni Schicchi from the world-premiere production at the Met in 1918.
(Valet Parking costs $10)
Tickets: $300 ICS Members – $375 Non-Members
$4,000 – ICS Patrons, VIP Table (positioned closer to the stage)
SPONSORS AND DONORS ARE WELCOME TO CONTACT US.
INDIVIDUAL DONORS above $100 will be recognized online and in our Newsletter for one year – above $500 will be on the Gala program.
Consider becoming an ICS Patron, by purchasing a VIP Table.
Your contributions help to support our SCHOOL for children, teens and adults, as well as our SCHOLARSHIP AWARDS, concerts, art exhibits and other events, in order to bring the best of ITALIAN CULTURE to Washington. A few events are free to the public because we believe that culture needs to be accessible to everybody. To do this, we need your support!
Please check our webpage SCHOLARSHIPS to read about the 2025 Awardees.
Founded in 1953 and recognized as an Ente Gestore e promotore della lingua e cultura italiana by the Italian Government since 1974, our historic organization has proudly hosted the annual Gala at the Embassy of Italy for the past eleven years.
Join the ICS Board of Directors for one of Washington DC’s most memorable evenings. The ICS Gala is an occasion to celebrate the excellence of Italian culture in its many facets and includes Honorary Guests of international acclaim, recognized for their successful careers in the world. This year, our theme revolves around Classical Music, as we celebrate the legacy of Giacomo Puccini and honor Maestro Gianandrea Noseda — one of the foremost Ambassadors of Italian music on the world stage.
This Gala is part of America 250’s celebrations, and will bring together patrons, supporters, and friends of Italian culture for a night of fine dining, conversations, and NSO Quartet live performance, in the spirit of Italy’s rich musical heritage.
April 30th, 2026 – 6:30 pm (The gates open at 6:15 pm)
Embassy of Italy
3000 Whitehaven St. NW, Washington, DC 20008
Program
6:30 pm – Italian Cocktail Reception featuring live jazz
7:30 pm – Tribute to Maestro Gianandrea Noseda, followed by a concert by the NSO String Quartet (Puccini repertoire)
Preludio e fuga (6’ – unpublished, U.S. premiere)
Gavotta (2’ – unpublished, U.S. premiere)
Minuetto (3’ – published, rarely performed; includes a theme later used in Manon Lescaut)
Crisantemi (7’ – well known and regularly performed)
Performers & Instruments
Xiaoxuan Shi, violin — playing a Tommaso Balestrieri, 1765
Benjamin Scott, violin — playing an Alessandro Gagliano, 1725
Dana Kelley, viola — playing a Giovan Battista Ceruti, 1808
Raymond Tsai, cello — playing a Giovanni Francesco Celoniato, 1732
Each instrument is a historic masterpiece crafted by the Italian makers listed above, from the private collection of Maestro Gianandrea Noseda.
8:30 pm – Dinner, Recognitions, Awards Ceremony & Piano Performance
10:00 pm – Conclusion of the evening
***
On the occasion of the upcoming performances of Il trittico by Giacomo Puccini conducted by Gianandrea Noseda, you are welcome to attend the conference organized by The Embassy of Italy, in collaboration with the National Symphony Orchestra, the Centro Studi Giacomo Puccini and the Simonetta Puccini per Giacomo Puccini Foundation “PUCCINI L’AMERICANO” at 5:00 pm at the Embassy Auditorium (Only 140 seat). Learn more and RSVP here. (The link is not active yet!)
Please note that the registration to the Gala is separate and does not include the 5:00 conference.
Noseda’s leadership has inspired and reinvigorated the National Symphony Orchestra, which makes its home at the Kennedy Center. The renewed artistic recognition and critical acclaim has led to invitations to Carnegie Hall and international concert halls, as well as digital streaming and a record label distributed by LSO Live, for which Noseda also records as principal guest conductor of the London Symphony Orchestra. Noseda’s discography spans over 80 recordings, including dozens of critically acclaimed albums with a wide range of orchestras and repertoire for various labels, including Deutsche Grammophon and Chandos.
Noseda became General Music Director of the Zurich Opera House in September 2021 and reached an important milestone in May 2024, conducting two highly praised complete Ring Cycles in a new production by Andreas Homoki. Hewas recognized as “Best Conductor” by the jury of the German OPER! AWARDS, specifically for his Wagner interpretations.
From 2007–2018, Noseda served as Music Director of the Teatro Regio Torino, where his leadership marked the opera house’s golden era.
Noseda has conducted the most important international orchestras, opera houses, and festivals, and had significant roles at the BBC Philharmonic (chief conductor), Israel Philharmonic Orchestra (principal guest conductor), Mariinsky Theatre (principal guest conductor), Orchestra Sinfonica Nazionale della RAI (principal guest conductor), Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra (Victor de Sabata Chair), Rotterdam Philharmonic (principal guest conductor), and Stresa Festival (artistic director).
Working with the next generation of musicians is important to Noseda, and in the summer of 2024, he led an international festival tour with European Union Youth Orchestra which took them to the Edinburgh Festival and the Lucerne Festival, marking a debut for Noseda. In 2019, he was appointed the founding Music Director of the Tsinandali Festival and Pan-Caucasian Youth Orchestra in the village of Tsinandali, Georgia.
A native of Milan, Noseda is Commendatore al Merito della Repubblica Italiana, marking his contribution to the artistic life of Italy. He has been honored as Musical America’s Conductor of the Year (2015) and International Opera Awards Conductor of the Year (2016). In 2023, he received the Puccini Award, whose past recipients include legendary opera stars Maria Callas, Birgit Nilsson, and Luciano Pavarotti.
The ICS 2026 online auction features exclusive resort stays, meals at the best restaurants in the area, high-end Italian products, and much more! All ICS followers have the opportunity to bid on our online auction. Gala attendees will have additional access to the ICS silent auction, which will be open during the duration of the event.
SPONSOR Gala 2025 + Gala 2026:
PLATINUM SPONSOR
GOLD SPONSORS
SILVER SPONSORS
BEVERAGE – FOOD – PRODUCT SPONSORS
BRONZE SPONSORS
Many thanks to our 2026 auction donors:
AFI Silver Theatre, All Purpose Hospitality, Amina Rubinacci, Annelise Brody Morani, Brioni, Cassina, Dario Penzo, De Nigris Balsamic Vinegar, Divino Ristorante Enoteca, Elite Island Resorts, Hotel Hilton Milano, Illy, La Tomate Restaurant, Lamborghini, Lia’s Restaurant, Libellula Olive Oil, Lubin Portrait Studio, Majnoni Guicciardini Farm, Negroni, Olio2go, Olivieri 1882, Palladio Restaurant, Pasta Social Club, Pizzeria Da Marco, Rangoni Firenze Shoes, Santa Maria Novella, Sfoglina Pasta House, The ICS Board of Directors, Wide World of Wines, Why Wait Italy.
Many thanks to our individual donors 2025-26:
$5,000-10,000:
$3,000-$4,999: Bruce Esposito, Anonymous
$1,000-$2,999: Linda Fuortes, Jeanne Ruesch, Luigi & Silvana De Luca, Jeffrey Nico, M.J. Alexander,
Annelise Brody Morani, Dario Penzo, Piera Weiss, Anonymous
$500-$999: Salvatore Romano, Phil Contrino, Camilla Acquista, Susan Joseph, Anne Marie Cammisa,
Sara Forden, Dorothea Dickerman, Maria Romero, Louis Larca, Fay Wheeler, Ryan Whitaker
$100-$499: David and Karen King, Katherine Stifel, Martin G. Paul, Jaime Sepulveda, Gabriela Gold, Ellen Coppley, Barbara Brody,
George Shevlin, Melitta Paterni, Geoffrey Krieg, Adele Pinkley, Frank Palumbo, Debra Karlin, Joy D. Mele, Edward Hughes, Sarah Diligenti,
Susan Joseph, Richard Gervase, Craig Tregillus, Cathy Hollinger, David Stevens, Crystofur Brown, Raffaello Cervigni, Erminia Scarcella
Become a Member
ICS Members get invitations to exclusive events, benefit from discounts on classes and concerts, access to our Italian Library and Video Collections… and mostly our Members are part of a society committed in spreading culture.
The Italian Cultural Society of Washington, D.C. is a 501 (c) (3) non-profit organization. All donations to ICS are 100% tax deductible. Your contribution will help ICS to grow and improve the quality of our programs. Thank you for joining and believing in our mission!