Italian Language Meeting

Speaker: Ludovica Punzi, Executive Director – Early Music Seattle

Topic:  When in Florence: Adventures in the Italian Music Business

Presentation:

What does it mean to build a career in music in Italy today? In this talk, Ludo Punzi shares personal stories and reflections from years of navigating the Italian music world—especially in Florence, a city where history, tradition, and contemporary creativity constantly intersect. From unexpected collaborations to the realities of producing concerts and cultural projects, the presentation offers an insider’s perspective on how music, entrepreneurship, and cultural heritage meet in modern Italy. Through anecdotes and experiences, the talk explores both the challenges and the surprising opportunities of working in the Italian music ecosystem.

When in Florence: avventure nell’industria musicale italiana

Cosa significa costruire una carriera musicale nell’Italia di oggi? In questo incontro, Ludo Punzi condivide storie e riflessioni nate da anni di esperienza nel mondo musicale italiano—con particolare attenzione a Firenze, una città dove storia, tradizione e creatività contemporanea si incontrano continuamente. Tra collaborazioni inaspettate e le realtà quotidiane dell’organizzazione di concerti e progetti culturali, la presentazione offre uno sguardo dall’interno su come musica, imprenditorialità e patrimonio culturale si intrecciano nell’Italia di oggi. Attraverso aneddoti ed esperienze personali, l’incontro racconta sfide e opportunità del lavorare nel panorama musicale italiano.

About the Speaker:

Ludovica Punzi is a versatile and experienced arts leader, having worked in many different roles in Italy and the United States.She is the Executive Director of Early Music Seattle, a 50 year-old organization which presents the best performers of early music from all around the world. She is the Founder and Executive Director of Vivace Music Foundation, an international organization dedicated to equitable music education opportunities for the world’s most talented youth, and also serves as Program Manager of the St. Lawrence String Quartet Chamber Music Seminar at Stanford University. Since 2023 she has served as Executive Director of Early Music Seattle.

Equally at home in concert halls and community spaces, Ludo has worked with The Concert Truck, a non-profit organization which strengthens communities by redefining the concert experience through a mobile concert hall. She has also worked with the Florence and Milan conservatories, where she has led hundreds of chamber music, opera, orchestra and jazz productions and tours in Europe, Dubai and the US.

Ludo earned an academic diploma in piano performance at Mantua Conservatory. She loves podcasts and radio shows and has an uncontrollable passion for rockabilly, jive music and dance. She speaks 4 languages and has an identical twin sister. A tattoo on her left wrist says “vero”, which in Italian stands for “true” and is also her twin sister’s nickname.

No reservation necessary. Come early and bring an antipasto, dolce, or vino to share.