UniCredit, HypoVereinsbank and the Embassy of Italy in Berlin are proud to host the annual “Arena di Verona meets Berlin” concert for the eight year. The event will take place tomorrow evening at the Italian Embassy in the German capital.

The artists of the Arena di Verona will offer the public a touch of Opera, performing a “lively sampling of great opera music”, taking them on a journey through Europe’s musical traditions. The artists performing at the event will include Alida Berti (Sopran), Tiziana Carraro (Mezzo soprano), Mikheil Sheshaberidze (Tenor) e Federico Longhi (Baritone), accompanied by Fabio Fapanni on the piano.

The concert and the subsequent reception held by UniCredit in cooperation with the Italian Embassy have become an anticipated event in the cultural calendar of Berlin. Some 250 guests from the fields of politics, finance and culture are expected to attend. The event is also testimony of the stable friendship and cooperation between the Italian and German people.

“The people are not only in Europe looking for a new narrative. - said of the event the Ambassador of Italy, Pietro Benassi -. We have to find solutions for the problems of today. We need a convincing and sustainable vision for an union of states, that the citizens trust and feel that it is worth supporting. The awareness of a unique common cultural heritage seems more important than ever before. I am therefore very pleased that with every concert of the Soloists of Arena di Verona, we can present this cultural heritage. This year, the motto of the evening is well chosen - Contrasti - opposites - illustrating the great variety that our European culture has to offer.”

Giuseppe Vita, Chairman of UniCredit, remarked: “The Arena di Verona meets Berlin concert has become a highlight of the Italian and German relationship and cultural ties, which UniCredit is proud to support. Culture is a fundamental part of German, Italian and European life and it can help bring people together. We are witnessing the transformation of
the world we live in, and Europe lies at the very heart of many of the developments that are driving this process. We need a stronger Europe, now more than ever. In this context, cultural dialogue is even more crucial and the role music can play as a strong, unifying element becomes even more important. ”.

Photographs of the concert will be made available after the event, from Thursday 24 November, online at the following website: www.hvb.de\presse

Note for the editors / Some facts and figures about the event:

• The historic partnership between UniCredit and the Arena di Verona is now 23 years old – it began in 1994 when the ticketing system became computerized and has seen over 10 million tickets being sold since then.

• The 2013 edition of the concert coincided with the bicentenaries of the births of both Giuseppe Verdi and Richard Wagner, as well as with the centenary of the Arena di Verona. The 2014 edition coincided with Italy’s rotating residency of the European Union.

• The Arena di Verona meets Berlin concert is part of UniCredit's broader commitment to promoting culture. The Group is present in 50 countries and has commercial operations in 16 European countries. In Germany it operates through HypoVereinsbank (UniCredit Bank AG), one of the largest financial institutions in the country, with roughly 15,000 employees and some 341 branches. Both UniCredit and HypoVereinsbank regard music and art as connecting influence, bringing together people with different mindsets from diverse backgrounds.

Berlin, Munich, Milan, 22 November 2016