Florence, Italy – On December 6 & 7, 2024, you are invited to join us at the 13th Annual Academic Conference hosted by The American University of Florence in collaboration with Stony Brook University. This year, we celebrate the theme of Puccini Forever: The Maestro’s Centennial Legacy in the Arts.

The conference will feature a lineup of panelists, performances, and opportunities to connect over coffee and lunch breaks on both days. Highlighting the conference is the wide array of student involvement. In fact, there will be a total of five student panels presenting their work across the two day conference.

Discover the creativity and insight of our student community as we spotlight three standout student-led panels, featured on both days of the conference. Do not miss this unique opportunity to engage with fresh perspectives and dynamic discussions.

Music Production Students Present A New Twist on Puccini

Imagine the emotional depth of Puccini’s operas colliding with the bold, experimental spirit of modern music production. That’s exactly what students from The American University of Florence's Music Production course will bring to the stage in a special panel exploring how Giacomo Puccini’s legacy continues to shape the sounds of today’s young composers.

Led by instructor, Rosaria Parretti, the panel will delve into the fascinating intersection of Puccini’s iconic melodies and modern song creation.

“Creativity is combining two existing things into something new, and that’s exactly what my students have done," Parretti explains. "They’ve used Puccini's music, his characters, and even the emotional intensity of his operas to create something fresh."

What makes this panel unique is the audience’s chance to participate in the experience. "It’s like a game,” Parretti says. "I want the audience to engage and see if they can identify the influence of Puccini in the music."

Each composition will be paired with a presentation that explains the creative process, followed by a playful guessing game where attendees try to identify which Puccini opera or character inspired each song.

For many students, this was their first deep dive into the world of Puccini. One student shared, "I didn’t know much about Puccini before this class, but his music is so emotional and dramatic. It’s given me a deeper appreciation for Italian culture."

Another reflects on the challenge of composing in Puccini’s shadow adding, "It was harder than I thought. There are so many sounds to choose from, but I feel proud of what I’ve created."

This student panel is sure to offer a fresh, interactive look at Puccini’s enduring influence and the creative ways today’s students are making his legacy their own.

Passion & Politics: How Puccini’s Life Shaped His Operatic Vision

Giacomo Puccini’s operas are known for their emotional intensity, but what of the man behind the music? Introduction to Journalism students will delve into the life and times of the legendary composer in a panel titled “Passion and Politics.”

Guided by instructor Livia Sturlese Tosi, the research will explore how Puccini’s personal experiences and identity influenced his operatic vision, offering a deeper understanding of the composer as both a musician and a cultural figure. Students' research and understanding of Puccini’s life made them realize that his operas, known for their emotional depth, are a reflection of both his own personal struggles and Italy's turbulent history. At the conference, they will address themes of political and social issues, while blending the romantic and passionate aspects of Puccini’s work to critique his lasting artistic legacy.

Overall, the process of preparing for the conference aimed to give students a somehow interactive journalism experience, helping them understand Florence through its cultural and political lens. The focus was to teach them the skill of gathering and analyzing data, and then learning to present it in a way that the public can easily digest.

Sturlese Tosi noted that the students were particularly fascinated by Puccini’s personal life. “They were attracted quite more from the private life of Puccini than specifically from the work. They really insisted on this romantic aspect about the relationship with him and society,” she explains.

The panel, composed of five students, will present their findings through a collaborative PowerPoint presentation, covering topics such as Puccini’s relationships with women, his views on nationalism and gender, and the political influences on his work. Sturlse Tosi hopes the presentation will inspire the audience to look beyond Puccini’s music and engage with his legacy as a cultural figure who left a lasting impact on the world.

"I hope the audience leaves curious to learn more about Puccini, not just as a composer, but as a person who lived through transformative historical moments,” she says.

A Journey through Puccini’s Opera: Old Stereotypes, Emotional Triggers, and New Technologies

In a wide-ranging panel that will examine cultural biases, artificial intelligence, and more, A Journey through Puccini’s Opera: Old Stereotypes, Emotional Triggers, and New Technologies is an exploration of time. Two students enrolled in the Travel Writing course will head up the panel, discussing the prevalence of opera in the past, present, and future.


Jackie Oram will connect the past to the present, showcasing findings on cultural biases about women in Puccini’s operas — and how those biases remain embedded in our society today. Meanwhile, Gabriele Ziukaite will share her future-focused findings, looking at how new media can play a role in the “making and fruition of operas.”

Artist, writer, and professor Nicoletta Salomon instructs the Travel Writing course. As the December panel took shape, she encouraged Oram and Ziukaite to pursue their individual interests surrounding Puccini from the outlook of the “critical traveler,” the perspective from which Salomon teaches her course.

“I balanced freedom and guidelines, in order for my students to experience and savor the excitement of carrying independent, yet supervised, research,” Salomon notes.

In the days leading up to the conference, she’s working with her students to refine their oral presentations and infusing confidence in them as they prepare to share their work with the public.

A Journey through Puccini’s Opera will take place during the second leg of the conference on Saturday, December 7 at Corso dei Tintori, 21. Join Oram and Ziukaite in Sala Rosa for the Panel Five block from 11 a.m. until 12:15 p.m. to take a deeper dive into opera’s prevalence through time.

---

Join us on Friday, December 6, and Saturday, December 7, for an exciting event to learn more about the incredible art and life of Giacomo Puccini.

Opening Session: Palazzo Bombicci Guicciardini Strozzi

Closing Session: Conservatorio di Firenze

Dates: December 6 & 7, 2024

Contact: conferences@auf-florence.org