Opera in the Italian Cultural Garden The Cleveland Opera & Cleveland Ballet Theater July 26, 2026
Dedicated in 1930 as "a symbol of the contribution of Italian culture," the Italian Cultural Garden hosted opera concerts in the 1930's and 1940's.
In 2008, Joyce Mariani led the effort to revive the concerts for the public and to showcase two of Italy's highest art forms: opera and ballet.
The annual Opera in the Italian Cultural Garden was held on Sunday July 26, 2026 and featured The Cleveland Opera and the Cleveland Ballet Theater with about two thousand in attendance. People came early and set up picnics - some very elaborate.
Note: As always, we reduced the resolution of the photos for speedy web loading so if you want high-resolution copies, let us know.
Matteo Silvaggio Little Italy Wines provided free wine.
Father Phil Racco with Little Italy Wines group
Orlando Bakery offered free Ovation Panini Italian sandwiches.
Orlando Bakery table
The evening began with remarks from Italian Garden volunteer Robert Lippucci. He asked for a moment of silence to remember garden volunteer Mike Spena.
Robert Lippucci
Italian Garden volunteers
Fox 8's Tino Bovenzi served as the MC.
Tino Bovenzi
The performances were world-class as always and included singers from Cleveland Opera and performances from Cleveland ballet Theater. Here are a few images of the performers.
Beth Satariano and Dan Doty
Jason Fuh and Kaitlyn Bourne
Julie Anna Gulenko
Kaitlyn Bourne
Julie Anna Gulenko
It's a lot of fun to people watch at the event. We came across Elizabeth who was wearing an outfit from the 1940s to honor the veterans and keep the history alive. She wore bright Victory red lipstick and her hat, dress and purse were from the 1940's. She explained that there was rationing of fabric during World War II so hemlines and fashions changed. Her grandfather was in the Navy in the Pacific during the war. Watch the short video.
Here are some more photos from the Opera in the Italian Cultural Garden.
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