Ciao a  tutti –

MAKE YOUR RESERVATION FOR THE NEXT ENGLISH MEETING of the 2020 DAS PROGRAM YEAR THIS COMING WEDNESDAY, FEB 12
at St. Patrick’s Church – Social Hall, 815 E Edgar Street, Seattle

Our January presenter is Prof. Lloyd Howard, a  Dante expert and previous DAS presenter.   Professor Howard’s topic this time is The Power of Music on the Shore of Dante’s Purgatory.  Professor Howard will begin his talk with a brief description of Dante’s world and how the Commedia was transmitted both in written form and orally by singing Dante’s text. He will then turn to the second canto of the Purgatorio, where Dante introduces the soul of the musician, Casella, who, while living, sang Dante’s love poems.  Lastly, Professor Howard will discuss the Paradiso where, by flight through the music enhanced spheres, Dante, a famed writer of worldly love songs, reaches the Celestial Rose.

Lloyd Howard received his PhD from the Johns Hopkins University in 1976, after which he was appointed to a position at the University of Victoria, where he taught until his retirement at the rank of Professor in 2016.  His research focused initially on the extant poetry of Guido Cavalcanti, before turning to Dante’s Commedia.   Along with numerous articles, he has written two books: Formulas of Repetition in Dante’s Commedia: Signposted Journeys across Textual Space (Montreal: McGill-Queen’s University Press, 2001); Virgil the Blind Guide: Marking the Way through the Divine Comedy (Montreal: McGill-Queen’s University Press, 2010). 

DINNER RESERVATIONS

The presentation starts at 7:30 pm. 

As usual, we will have a Pre-Dante Pasta Dinner, prepared by our members, starting at 6:45 pm. (Please note the new time.)  If you plan to come for the dinner at 6:45 pm as well as for the presentation at 7:30 pm, please make your reservation by 5:00 pm Monday February 10 by:

• making your DINNER RESERVATION online, or
  
• calling our Reservation Line at our NEW number, (206) 289-0419 or
• emailing your request to our NEW reservation email, reserve@danteseattle.org.   

Let us know how many are in your party. This will help our volunteer cooks know how much pasta to prepare.  

If you are coming to dinner,  you are encouraged to bring along an antipasto, dolce or vino to share. 

The Hall is open at 5:30 pm for Setup.  The Antipasto will be served, starting at 6:00 pm. The new times should give us more time to socialize, have a glass of wine and some antipasti before dinner. 

MEETING LOCATION

The meeting as usual will be in the Parish Social Hall at St. Patrick’s Church, 815 E Edgar St., Seattle. 

To reach St. Patrick’s from the North, follow I-5 S.  Take exit 168A for Boylston Ave toward Roanoke St.  Merge onto Boylston, turn left at light onto E Roanoke St.  Turn left at the first cross street onto Harvard Ave E.

The parking lot will be on your right off Harvard.  And the stairway down to the door to the Social Hall is located at the parking lot level in back of the Church, off the parking lot.

Feel free to come early to help set up and start visiting.  And, in any case, please come. 

OTHER DANTE NEWS

If you haven’t renewed your 2020 membership yet, you are now able to renew online on our website:  https://danteseattle.org/join-the-dante-alighieri-society-of-washington/ .

 You can also renew at the meeting.  We’ll have a membership table set up in the Social Hall on Wednesday.  

A presto – 

Dan DeMatteis,
President, Dante Alighieri Society of Washington

As usual we’ll celebrate the season with the traditional Italian game of tombola – a kind of Italian Bingo for those not familiar with the game.  There are several prizes to be awarded so you might be a winner!  It’s lots of fun for all.

Bruce Leone will be our tomboliere this year.

And of course we’ll have Italian Christmas music.  Be prepared to sing as Joyce Ramee will lead us in a few Italian Christmas songs.

Traditionally the Festa meal is a potluck.  In the spirit of the Italian love of food, please bring along a main course, antipasto or dessert.  And a bottle of vino to share is always a good addition.  The microwave and oven are available if any of the dishes need to be heated up at the last minute.  You can always count on a lot of great food to add to the holiday merriment at our Festa.

And to toast the spirit of the season, there’ll be a few bottles of prosecco to start things off in style.

If you plan on attending, please indicate by:

• registering online here or, 
• calling our Reservation Line at our NEW number, (206) 289-0419 or
• emailing your request to our NEW reservation email, reserve@danteseattle.org.   

And let us know how many are in your party.

Festa will take place in the Parish Social Hall at St. Patrick’s Church, 815 East Edgar Street, on the North side of Capitol Hill.

Parking is available in St. Patrick’s parking lot, off E. Edgar street. The meetings take place in the Parish Hall, located in the basement of the church which is entered from the West side of the church from the parking lot.

To reach St Patrick’s from the North, follow I-5 S.  Take exit 168A for Boylston Ave toward Roanoke St.  Merge onto Boylston, turn left at light onto E Roanoke St.  Turn left at the first cross street onto Harvard Ave E. and then take the first right onto E. Edgar Street.

To reach St. Patrick’s from the South, follow I-5 N.  Take exit 168A for Lakeview Blvd E.  Turn left onto Lakeview Blvd E, and continue onto Boylston Ave E.   Turn right at the light onto E Roanoke St. Turn left at the first cross street onto Harvard Ave. E. and then take the first right onto E. Edgar Street.

The festivities officially start at 6:30.  Your help setting up before the meeting (and especially in cleaning up afterwards)  is always appreciated.  So come early to start celebrating.

A presto – 

Dan DeMatteis,
Presidente,
Dante Alighieri Society of Washington