These are the great performing artists that will be at Festa this year, supported in part by grants from King County’s 4Culture, The Seattle Office of Arts and Culture, and other supporters as noted. Our MC’s will be Tony LaStella and David Madrid.
Refer to the Festa Weekend Schedule for the most up to date and complete listing of performers and show times.
A rockin' 6-piece covering all your Italian favorites through the decades with an emphasis on danceability!
Moretti Main Stage
Saturday 24th, 2:00pm and 6:30pm
Sunday 25th, 4;00pm
A rockin’ 6-piece from Salinas, CA called the Anthony “Nino” Lane Band, covering all your Italian favorites through the decades with an emphasis on danceability! They will be doing three shows for us over the weekend so watch for those, especially on Saturday evening, the night of the “All-Star Italian Jam.”
Sponsored in part by a grant from King County’s 4Culture.
Large and unique ensemble playing beautiful Italian music on mandolins.
Moretti Main Stage
Saturday 24th, 11:00am
Sunday 25th, 11:00am
Returning to Festa year after year, this large and unique ensemble plays beautiful Italian music on mandolins of myriad sizes.
Sponsored in part by a grant from the Seattle Office of Art & Culture.
Known for many years as "Seattle's Three Tenors;" Marcus Shelton, Chai Ahrenius and Steve Wall, accompanied by Bonnie Birch, Nick Heiting and Paul Ostler.
Moretti Main Stage
Saturday 24th, 12:00pm
Sunday 25th, 5:00pm
Known for many years as “Seattle’s Three Tenors,” these singers have been show-stoppers at Festa for over 20 years. Marcus Shelton, Chai Ahrenius and Steve Wall, brilliant operatic talents in their own right are awesome together! Always a standing ovation.
Classic Italian marches and excerpts from "Aida" and "il Trovatore."
Moretti Main Stage
Saturday 24th, 3:00pm
Saturday afternoon on the Moretti Main stage, The Ballard Sedentary Sousa Band presented classic Italian marches including the “March of the Bersaglieri” and “A Frangesa,” as well as excerpts from “Aida” and “il Trovatore.” Guaranteed to wake you up!
Bonnie Birch, Nick Heiting and Paul Ostler; traditional Italian music at its finest.
Moretti Main Stage
Saturday 24th, 12:00pm, with Fortissimo!
Sunday 25th, 12:00pm
Sunday 25th, 5:00pm, with Fortissimo!
Wine Garden
Saturday 24th, 1:30pm
Sunday 25th, 2:00pm
Consisting of Bonnie Birch, Nick Heiting and Paul Ostler, they’ll appear on the Moretti Main stage and also accompany Fortissimo! Hear musical samples and learn all about them at their website.
Rob Porcaro, singing since he was 9 years of age. In the late 60's, he fronted the legendary "Thin Red Line."
Moretti Main Stage
Saturday 24th, 1:00pm
Sunday 25th, 2:00pm
Now a regular on the Moretti Main stage, Rob Porcaro hails from Toronto, Canada and has been singing since he was 9 years old. In the late 60’s, he fronted the legendary “Thin Red Line” and immigrated with them to Seattle where he now sings at festivals like the Bite of Seattle the Taste of Tacoma and the San Gennaro Festival.
Featuring some of the northwest’s finest musicians: Tom Cox, Wade Reeves, Mark Cardenas and James Clark.
Moretti Main Stage
Saturday 24th, 4:00pm
Featuring some of the northwest’s finest musicians: Tom Cox, Wade Reeves, Mark Cardenas and James Clark. Mary started her career performing USO tours for our troops in Alaska, Korea, Guam, The Philippines, Okinawa, Hawaii, Turkey, Greece, Spain… and ITALY! They were the featured house band aboard the Spirit of Puget Sound Dinner Ship for 7 years and The Royal Argosy Dinner ship for 12-years… all to RAVE reviews!
Lenny Luzzi and Tom Falcone; high-energy sing alongs. That's Amore!
Wine Garden
Saturday 24th, 3:30pm
Sunday 25th, 4:00pm
Lenny Luzzi and Tom Falcone always draw big crowds with their tunes and high-energy antics. Watch for them each afternoon in the big Wine & Beer Garden with everyone singing along. Now, That’s Amore! Ce La Luna Mezzo Mare – Lenny Luzzi, The RigaTones
Popular local Italian-American tenor Tony La Stella and his band
Moretti Main Stage
Saturday 24th, 7:30pm, Italian "All-star" Dance and Show
Sunday 25th, 3:00pm
Mamma Mia! Local Italian-American tenor Tony La Stella and the Festa “All-Star” Jam Session. This you don’t want to miss!
Sponsored in part by the Veterans Family Fund of America.
Known throughout the NW as a great Sinatra-like song stylist.
Moretti Main Stage,
Saturday 24th, 5:00pm
“Danny Q.” is known throughout the NW as a great Sinatra-like song stylist. When not fronting a 16-piece Big Band at nightclubs like Tula’s, he shows off his silky voice in more intimate gigs with a quartet.
Seattle's "Sicilian Diva" entertains audiences in Paris, Istanbul, Rio de Janeiro, Bangkok, Hong Kong, London, Hamburg, Brussels, New York, LA and San Francisco.
Moretti Main Stage
Sunday 25th, 1:00pm
Seattle’s “Sicilian Diva” entertains audiences worldwide. When in Seattle, she’s usually at Vito’s or similar intimate cabarets. At Festa, Julie loves to play to her Italian side, performing songs from her childhood.
Lead singer of Mbrascatu, the popular indy "tarantella rock" band from Portland, OR.
Wine Garden
Saturday 24th, 11:30am
Sunday 25th, 11:30am
Leader and lead singer of Mbrascatu, the popular, indy, “Tarantella rock” band from Portland, OR. Andrea will be appearing in the Wine Garden from 11:30 AM – 1:30 PM, both days.
A comedy star and our Grape Stomp caller, also known as "Doc Bailey".
Grape Stomp Area
Saturday 24th, 12:40 - 4:40pm
Sunday 25th, 12:40 - 4:40pm
Our Grape Stomp caller, also known as “Doc Bailey” loves to make Seattle laugh. Around the world he’s a comedy star but at home he’s just a funny guy from Ballard.
With special thanks to Seattle Center and our amazing sponsors, we’ve been able to record and now stream the following performances directly to you.
Fortissimo!, Danny Quintero, Julie Cascioppo, Tony La Stella, Seattle Mandolin Orchestra, The Primo Basso Band, Rob Porcaro, Mary Marchese – That’s Amore, La Mezzanotte Trio (Slideshow), Dennis from Dennis & the Jets, La MezzaNotte Trio, The Rigatones, Tony La Stella & The Goombas.
Special thanks to Seattle Center and our amazing sponsors!
The Rigatones, Danny Quintero, Mary Marchese, Fortissimo! The Tarantellas, Rob Porcaro, The Primo Basso Band, La Mezzanotte Trio (Slideshow), Mbrascatu, Tony La Stella & The Goombas, Fortissimo!, Julie Cascioppo, The Primo Basso Band, Fortissimo!
Special thanks to Seattle Center and our amazing sponsors!
Thanks to Festa regulars, the Seattle Mandolin Orchestra and Mbrascatu.
A unique performance of ‘La Vita è Bella’ (‘Life is Beautiful’) by members of the Seattle Mandolin Orchestra, playing a socially-distanced session filmed entirely from their homes.
A great video by Mbrascatu who have played the Italian Festival for many years. This indy ensemble from Portland, Oregon plays original material sung in the Calabrese dialect and never fails to get the crowd on its feet. Gypsy-rock at its most exciting!
For the past several years, Domenico Minotti has prepared a quiz for Festa Italiana, an annual celebration of Italian culture, food and music held each year at the Seattle Center at the end of September. Since this year’s Festa Italiana will be virtual, Domenico has prepared a virtual quiz to go along with that. The quiz was premiered September 9th 2020 at the Dante Alighieri Society’s English Language meeting held virtually on Zoom. Links to PDFs of the quiz and the answer key along with the presentation are available below.
In the late 1920s, Nick’s parents emigrated from Sant’Angelo, Limosano, a small hilltop town in Molise. The population at that time was about 1000 but is now 345 as Nick learned on a visit last year. The family spoke their dialect at home. Nick studied Italian at Columbia University and Perugia and got lots of practice while on Fulbright study grants in Milan in the mid 60’s. Nick returned to the states and to his first love, medicine, at Georgetown University and came to Seattle in 1976 to work at the US Public Health Hospital on Beacon Hill, better known as the Marine Hospital. He and his father Pasquale would attend Dante meetings back then but took a break until retirement a few years ago. Nick serves as a Consigliere for our Dante group.
A special memorial collection of works has been added to “Le Arti della Festa Italiana” Art Exhibit at the Italian Festival this year in honor of Roberto Mario Tacchi whose elegant woodcarvings adorn Seattle public spaces and personal collections and who passed away May 15, 2019 at the age of 80. Born in Florence Italy, Roberto learned his craft from his father, becoming the seventh generation of woodcarvers in the Tacchi family.
As opposed to his large public works, this collection will be of “chamber pieces” that he carved primarily for family, friends and private collectors. They will be on display in the Armory on Saturday and Sunday, September 28 & 29, 2019 from 10 AM – 5 PM each day. Admission is free. Patrons of the “Taste of Italy” Wine Tasting on Friday night, September 27th will also be able to view the collection.
His public works present in the Seattle area include the exterior doors of the First Presbyterian Church in downtown Seattle, the chapel at Providence Marianwood in Issaquah and a memorial display in the Bell Harbor Conference Center. Surely even more treasured are the frames, sea shells and other carvings found in the homes of the many people who sought out his work for its elegance and sensuous beauty. When the Henry Art Gallery at the University of Washington obtained the loan of Leonardo da Vinci’s Salvator Mundi painting in 1982, they commissioned Roberto to carve a Late Gothic altar and triptych in order to properly display this revered work.
