LA Monte Productions, Wanbli, and SimonSays Entertainment will present the new documentary, Yvonne Russo’s “Viva Verdi!”

The film will open in Los Angeles for a one-week run at the Laemmle Monica Film Center from Oct. 3–9, 2025.

The film explores the lives of opera singers and musicians living out their “third act” while mentoring music students at Casa Verdi, built by the famed composer in 1896.

Produced by Christine La Monte, Yvonne Russo, and Ron Simons, the documentary will include a series of filmmaker Q&As following select screenings between Oct. 3–6. Russo, La Monte, and composer Nicholas Pike will appear in conversation with moderators Claire Aguilar (Oct. 3), Tom Miller (Oct. 4), and Jon Burlingame (Oct. 5).

A special “LA Opera Night” will be held on Oct. 6, moderated by Gary Murphy, President of the LA Opera League, and open to the public.

Following its Los Angeles debut, “Viva Verdi!” will continue to screen at international festivals and opera venues, including the Sarasota Opera House on Oct. 10, the Newport Beach Film Festival on Oct. 19, and the Italian premiere at Casa Verdi in Milan on Oct. 24.

The film will also be featured as part of the E2AC Social Impact Film Series at Lincoln Center in New York on Dec. 3, with filmmakers in attendance for Q&A sessions.

Viva Verdi! brings Giuseppe Verdi’s legacy to life through a contemporary lens, highlighting the composer’s profound cultural impact while drawing connections between his work, his advocacy, and his enduring place in both operatic and social history.

“In 2010, while producing an episode, MILAN’S BIG HEART for National Geographic Television, I discovered Casa Verdi, a distinctive and unique retirement home for aging opera singers, musicians and artists,” Russo noted in an official director’s statement. “I was moved by the residents’ vibrancy; compelled to learn about their lives; and inspired to document their stories. I kept asking myself: Who are these people? What were they like in their prime? What’s their secret to living such a joyful life at the ripe old age of 80 or 90? Why aren’t retirement homes more like this? Is music really medicine for the soul? Upon meeting the residents, I noticed their gentle hands, openness and exuberant smiles made me immediately feel at home. There was much I wanted to learn from them, knowing there was a rich history within the walls of their rooms.

“It is my hope that in entertaining the masses, ‘VIVA VERDI!’ will inspire retirement homes worldwide to implement music therapy, and intergenerational exchange, ultimately creating a harmonious encore period of life — putting a spotlight on creativity and music as a source of joy that stimulates and induces good health at every age.”

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