Members only. Details will be shared by email.
Registration Details (read carefully, please)
For Members: Traditionally, we offer our members free attendance at the Leconfield Lecture. However, we would be grateful if you could consider making a donation with a suggested minimum of £15 to help offset the costs. Click HERE to donate. If you choose not to donate, registration is still required, therefore, please use the “Book Now” button or scroll down to the booking form to register. Thank you.
For Non-Members: We warmly invite non-members to support us with a suggested donation of £15. Please click HERE to register and donate.
A DRINKS RECEPTION WILL FOLLOW THE TALK
Important Information
DISCLAIMER:
By participating in a BIS webinar or live event you automatically agree to authorise photo and/or recording of audio and visual content during the event and consent to subsequent use of the images, recordings in the public domain. The recording may include questions, comments and poll responses provided by you during the event in addition to your name, voice, image or likeness. The recording as well as images will be made available after the conclusion of the live event as part of the BIS webinar archives, and will remain available indefinitely. If you do not wish to consent to the recording or photo shooting, please do not join the live event or contact us to discuss your concerns.
MEMBERS ONLY.
Following our recent contribution to the acquisition of The Crucifixion by Fra Angelico, we are pleased to share that the Ashmolean Museum, in Oxford, has kindly offered us the opportunity for a private guided visit, including the chance to view this remarkable painting in person.
The visit is addressed to our members only and will be limited to 20 participants.
Additional information:
🖼️ The Crucifixion with the Virgin, Saint John the Evangelist and the Magdalen—painted in the 1420s—is among Fra Angelico’s earliest known panel paintings. Revered for its profound sensitivity and historical significance, the work remained in private hands for over two centuries before being attributed to the great Florentine master in 1996.
Thanks to this important acquisition, the Ashmolean is now the only museum in the UK where visitors can explore the full evolution of Fra Angelico’s artistic career.
🏛️ About the Ashmolean Museum
Founded in 1683, the Ashmolean is the UK’s oldest public museum and the world’s first university museum. Its renowned collections span ancient civilisations, the Italian Renaissance, and modern art—and include the world’s greatest collection of Raphael drawings.
Visit the Ashmolean website HERE
DISCLAIMER: By participating in a BIS webinar or live event you automatically agree to authorise recording of audio and visual content during the event and consent to subsequent use of the recording in the public domain. This recording may include questions, comments and poll responses provided by you during the event in addition to your name, voice, image or likeness. This recording will be made available after the conclusion of the live event as part of the BIS webinar archives, and will remain available indefinitely. If you do not wish to consent to the recording, please do not join the event or contact us to discuss your concerns.
Photo credit: Ashmolean Museum
A remarkable woman living in remarkable times, Livia Drusilla married the future emperor Augustus as a young woman in the dog days of the Roman Republic. Augustus was exacting but doting; Livia retained his love and admiration throughout a long marriage, outliving Augustus to see her son Tiberius established as Rome’s new emperor. Her admirers were manifold. So, over time, were her detractors, among them a sceptical Tacitus, who vilified Livia as ‘a good match for the intrigues of her husband and the hypocrisy of her son.
Matthew Dennison is the author of ten critically acclaimed works of non-fiction, described by his publishers as ‘one of Britain’s finest contemporary biographers’. His books, which include ‘Empress of Rome: The Life of Livia’ and a revisiting of Suetonius’s The Twelve Caesars, have been published in more than twenty languages and serialised in newspapers and magazines in Europe and North America. His forthcoming study of the Bloomsbury Group will be published in 2026.
Important Information
DISCLAIMER: By participating in a BIS webinar or live event you automatically agree to authorise recording of audio and visual content during the event and consent to subsequent use of the recording in the public domain. This recording may include questions, comments and poll responses provided by you during the event in addition to your name, voice, image or likeness. This recording will be made available after the conclusion of the live event as part of the BIS webinar archives, and will remain available indefinitely. If you do not wish to consent to the recording, please do not join the event or contact us to discuss your concerns.
A JOINT EVENT with the Cultural Association IL CIRCOLO
Due to limited space, this event is exclusively by invitation to members and guests of
The British Italian Society and Il Circolo
THE SHAPE OF MELODY: FROM BACH TO MORRICONE
Programme:
PART 1
1. Sonata No. 1 – Schubert (completa) | 15’
2. Serenade – Schubert | 4’30’’
3. Salut d’Amour – Elgar | 3’30’’
4. Meditation from Thaïs – Massenet | 5’
5. Air – Bach | 4’
6. Valse Sentimentale – Tchaikovsky | 3’30’’
7. The Swan – Saint-Saëns | 3’
INTERMEZZO
PART 2
1. Libertango – Piazzolla | 4’30’’
2. Ai giochi addio – Rota | 3’30’’
3. Lara’s Theme – Jarre | 4’
4. Anonimo Veneziano – Cipriani | 4’
5. Gabriel’s Oboe – Morricone | 4’
6. Deborah’s Theme – Morricone | 4’
7. Nuovo Cinema Paradiso – Morricone | 4’30’’
8. Now We Are Free – Zimmer | 5’
Beatrice Limonti | Violinist, Artistic Leader & Creator
Beatrice Limonti is an internationally acclaimed Italian violinist and Artistic Leader, recognised by the Arts Council of England as a Global Talent. Based in London, she bridges classical and jazz traditions with a dynamic stage and digital presence. Trained in Italy’s conservatoire system, she has performed in prestigious venues including Abbey Road Studios, Royal Opera House, and Teatro alla Scala.
A former first violin of the Italian Youth Orchestra under Riccardo Muti, Beatrice leads in ensembles such as the Erasmus+ Orchestra and has collaborated with international festivals and orchestras, including the Cairo Opera and Bayreuth Baroque Festival. In 2025, she co-founded BriosOrchestra, a London-based initiative promoting musical excellence and social inclusion.
A digital creator with a growing online following, Beatrice is also a D’Addario Artist. Celebrated for her emotional depth and artistic vision, she actively supports women in music and fosters diversity and creativity in today’s industry.
Antonio Morabito | Pianist, Educator & Conductor
Antonio Morabito is an Italian pianist and graduate of the Royal College of Music in London, holding a Master’s in Piano Performance. He teaches at both the Royal College of Music and Cardinal Vaughan Memorial School, and is choir conductor at St. Augustine’s Church in Hammersmith.
Trained at the Cilea Conservatory in Italy and the J. Rodrigo Conservatory in Valencia, he studied piano, chamber music, composition, and choral conducting, graduating with top honours. He also holds a degree in Philosophy from the University of Messina.
Antonio is a prizewinner of major international competitions, including the Bruxelles, London Classic Music, and Moscow International Piano Competitions, and was named “Young Artist of Excellence” by UNICRAM in 2014. He has performed across Britain and Europe at prestigious venues such as La Fenice, Steinway Hall, and Trinity College, Cambridge and is among the artists sponsored by the prestigious Keyboard Trust.
Antonio, together with Beatrice Limonti and Asia Bonuccelli, is the founder of BriosOrchestra in London, a social impact ensemble uniting young international musicians.
DISCLAIMER: By participating in a BIS webinar or live event you automatically agree to authorise recording of audio and visual content during the event and consent to subsequent use of the recording in the public domain. This recording may include questions, comments and poll responses provided by you during the event in addition to your name, voice, image or likeness. This recording will be made available after the conclusion of the live event as part of the BIS webinar archives, and will remain available indefinitely. If you do not wish to consent to the recording, please do not join the event or contact us to discuss your concerns.