A celebration of Italian culture through food and opera, with Fred Plotkin
Saturday, March 07 2020, 7pm - 11pm, at Army and Navy Club, 36-39 Pall Mall, St. James's, London SW1Y 5JN
An event from Kontentigo, a club for those who believe in the power of the creative arts to enhance the human condition.
Supported by the Oxford Cultural Collective
Tickets £85 per guest, to include drinks reception, three course Italian dinner with wine, address from Fred Plotkin and operatic performances. To book, follow this link.
Join Fred Plotkin, one of America’s foremost experts on opera and author of the best-selling series Italy for the Gourmet Traveller, for a magical celebration of Italy’s cultural contribution to the world.
The evening will include operatic performances from members of the ensemble of the Waterperry Opera Festival.
In 2002, in the New York Times, Fred Plotkin was described as: “one of those New York word-of-mouth legends, known by the cognoscenti for his renaissance mastery of two seemingly separate disciplines: the music and the food of Italy.”
Fred Plotkin – a profile
Fred Plotkin leads a varied career in which he is a universally recognized expert in his fields of specialization. Whether it is opera, classical music, gastronomy, wine, history, culture, travel or anything related to Italy, Plotkin is much sought-after for his knowledge and the joyous passion with which he shares it. He is the author of nine books, and has written for dozens of leading publications, including the New York Times, Los Angeles Times, Opera News, Time, Newsweek, Gourmet, GQ, Travel & Leisure, Food & Wine, Bon Appétit, Gastronomica, Saveur, and magazines in Britain, Germany, Italy, and elsewhere.
He has worked in opera and classical music for more than 45 years. This included a stint as a stage director at La Scala, Milan [as a Fulbright Scholar]. He was Performance Manager of the Metropolitan Opera for 5 years, responsible for running all theater operations at every performance. Later he worked as a consultant for the National Endowment of the Arts, and is the lead opera writer for WQXR, America’s oldest and largest classical music radio station. He is the opera expert for New York Times Journeys, for which he has also led trips focused on culinary history and traditions.
His best-selling book, OPERA 101: A COMPLETE GUIDE TO LEARNING AND LOVING OPERA is the standard text in North America for learning opera. CLASSICAL MUSIC 101: A COMPLETE GUIDE TO LEARNING AND LOVING CLASSICAL MUSIC has achieved similar status and editions in Britain, Japan, and China. Plotkin recorded both “101” books for audio versions released in 2004. He was the opera consultant on the film “Moonstruck.”
Plotkin is equally well-known for his knowledge and writing on Italian topics. He is often referred to as the Italy expert other so-called Italy experts go to for definitive information on everything Italian. His ITALY FOR THE GOURMET TRAVELER quickly established itself as the most complete guide to 504 Italian cities. His other Italian books include LA TERRA FORTUNATA: THE SPLENDID FOOD AND WINE OF FRIULI-VENEZIA GIULIA); RECIPES FROM PARADISE: LIFE AND FOOD ON THE ITALIAN RIVIERA (which The New York Times called the best cookbook of 1997); ITALY TODAY; THE BEAUTIFUL COOKBOOK (with Lorenza De’Medici), and THE AUTHENTIC PASTA BOOK.
In 2015, Fred was made a Cavaliere della Stella d’Italia, a high honour bestowed by the Italian government.