Montreal, August 29th, 2020
A SUCCESSFUL VIRTUAL 27TH EDITION OF MONTREAL’S ITALIAN WEEK!
Organized by the National Congress of Italian-Canadians (Quebec Region), the 27th edition of the festival ended in style with the classical lyrical concert on Sunday August 23rd. The greatest classics of Italian operas sung by exceptional artists and accompanied by a pianist will have made this moment memorable. And what a success! Thousands of festival-goers will have discovered Italian culture this year in virtual mode!
Once again, the Italian Week’s programming stood out for its ability to renew itself and its diversity of events: the classical lyrical concert, the fashion show, concerts of music by artists of all kinds, films. Italians, the comedy show, the web capsules and the numerous webinars will have entertained spectators in the comfort of their homes. A studio has been specially created for the recording of most of the shows. In order to make Montreal’s Italian Week accessible to all, it broadcasted its programming on a platform that all viewers would feel comfortable with. It has therefore developed its YouTube channel on which the majority of shows will remain permanently for the enjoyment of all.
“The 27th edition is a great success! We worked very hard to make this edition a success given the current situation and we are proud of the work accomplished and the welcome received from the many spectators who took part in our virtual programming. Thank you to the Executive Director, Ms. Josie Verrillo, who invests her time and passion throughout the year to make this event a success for over 20 years. Thank you to the Government of Quebec for its support, as well as to the Department of Canadian Heritage, the City of Montreal and Tourisme Montreal. Thank you to the sponsors, media partners and suppliers, who allow the organization to offer free programming year after year. Thank you to the employees, volunteers and the organizing committee who made this 27th edition an unforgettable one. Thank you to the artists and to our spokesperson, Vanessa Grimaldi and our ambassadors who have allowed Italian culture to shine. Thank you to all the other contributors to Montreal’s Italian Week. And with that … it’s time for the 2021 edition!” – Antonio Sciascia, president of the National Congress of Italian Canadians (QC)
While the festival was planning its year 2020, the news of the pandemic arrived, and the team had to make a quick decision to save its 27th edition and reinvent itself to go virtual.
“The programming structure has remained similar. However, it was necessary to find the best way to make a festival attractive on the web and to be able to attract people in the middle of summer to their computers or cellphones to view the shows. We are very satisfied with the end result.” – Josie Verrillo, Director General
Montreal’s Italian Week was delighted with the welcome of Montreal’s community and the virtual community. With this in mind, the festival would like next year, in addition to the traditional programming, to offer some online events to reach everyone from here and elsewhere who would like to celebrate the talents of the Italian Canadian community.
THE 2020 EDITION IN FIGURES
1 web broadcasting platform
4 social networks
17 days of festival
30 events
30,000 festival-goers in web traffic today and the numbers continue to go up!
The 27th edition of Montreal’s Italian Week will certainly remain an unforgettable year that will forever mark its history. The festival took advantage of this experience to innovate to its full potential and explore all its capacities in order to continue to pursue its mission: to
promote and safeguard the culture of the Italian-Quebec and Italian-Canadian community.
Photo credits :
LSM Ambiocréateurs
