LA MONTE PRODUCTIONS, WANBLI AND SIMONSAYS ENTERTAINMENT PRESENT
VIVA VERDI!
Directed by Yvonne Russo
Produced by Christine La Monte, p.g.a.
Yvonne Russo, p.g.a.
Ron Simons
NY Screenings:
Wednesday, December 3, 7:30pm
E2AC Social Impact Film Series,
Lincoln Center Beale Theater, 144 West 65th Street, NY 10023
https://www.e2ac.org/viva-verdi
Q&A with filmmakers:
Director Yvonne Russo
Producer Christine La Monte
Composer Nicholas Pike
Moderated by Fred Plotkin
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Thursday, December 18, 7:00 pm
Bedford Playhouse
Clive Davis Arts Center, 633 Old Post Road, Bedford, NY 10506
https://bedfordplayhouse.org/movies/viva-verdi/
Q&A with Director Yvonne Russo
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Wednesday, December 17, 8:00 pm ET
AARP Virtual Holiday Screening
Sign up at https://watch.aarp.org/aarpmfg/play/68a627a011eefea7305249ce
Zoom “in the chat” with
Filmmakers Yvonne Russo, Christine La Monte, Nicholas Pike
VIVA VERDI! is an intimate glimpse into the lives of the celebrated opera singers and musicians currently living out their ‘third act’ while mentoring international music students who live among them at Milan’s unique retirement home, Casa Verdi, built by the composer Guiseppe Verdi in 1896.
The film premiered at the Woodstock Film Festival in 2024, with the West Coast premiere at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival, and also screened at Toronto’s HOT DOCS’ Doc Soup. It premiered theatrically with its Oscar-qualifying run at the Laemmle’s Monica Film Center October 3-9, 2025.
Rotten Tomatoes Rated 4/4
” I loved this film. It’s one of my favorites of 2025!”“
– Tim Miller, Co-President Boston Society of Film Critics, Cape Cod Wave
“Yvonne Russo and co-writer Christine La Monte’s lovely documentary… featuring fascinating archival footage, timeless music, and a plethora of compelling subjects — boy, will it please the audience! Encore!” – Alex Saveliev, FILM THREAT / Rotten Tomatoes
“Fantastic film about a fantastic thing… an extraordinary beautiful place in Italy, Casa Verdi. Young people with residences, tell you there is nothing like it. Touching… wonderful, wonderful film — it’s beautiful, and everyone should see it! I love that movie!” – Tim Cogshell, NPR LAist
From these ‘Guests of Verdi,’ aged 77 to 107, comprised of international opera singers, ballet dancers, musicians, conductors and composers, we hear an extraordinary array of personal and professional stories filled with music, magic and passion, and ultimately learn why Verdi called this remarkable home his “best work.”
Verdi, the most influential Italian Opera composer of the 19th century (La Traviata, Aïda, Falstaff, Rigoletto) willed his vast fortune to build Casa Verdi. Entering it is like walking into a living masterpiece. The air is thick with sounds of music so thick, it’s almost as if you can see it floating in and out of the dozens of rooms, as your heart warms as the music envelopes you, because there is quite frankly, no other place like it in the world.