CLUB OF 27 – APPASSIONATI VERDIANI

The Club of 27 is one of the most unique associations in the world dedicated to Giuseppe Verdi. Founded in 1958 by a group of opera lovers who gathered to talk about the Maestro in a sandwich bar in the center of Parma (Grotta Mafalda), today it counts twenty-seven members, each one associated with a famous Verdi title.

Each member, in fact, “represents” one of the works of the Swan of Busseto. A title becomes available, for various reasons, when a previous member leaves, and is then passed on to a new member, who will keep it until their departure from the association. This original system creates a personal and symbolic bond that goes beyond simple listening, transforming the members’ identity into a way of experiencing Verdi “from the inside”.

The first headquarters of the Club of 27 was in the cellar of the Grotta Mafalda sandwich bar, located in Via Cavestro. In 1972, the Club moved to the underground premises of the Canon d’Or restaurant in Via Nazario Sauro, and then in 1974 to what would become its definitive home: the Verdian Den, a central cellar rented in Via Farini. Since 2006, due to the need for larger spaces and thanks to the involvement of the then Mayor of Parma, Elvio Ubaldi, the group has been based in the Casa della Musica of Parma, at Palazzo Cusani. Here, every Thursday, the Club meets to listen, discuss, and welcome friends who share the same ideals.

Among the most awaited official commemorations are October 10th, the anniversary of the Maestro’s birth, and January 27th, the day of remembrance of his death. On these occasions, the Club organizes tributes, visits, and ceremonies: true collective rituals that unite private memory with the shared remembrance of the entire Verdi world.

But it is not only about nostalgia or collecting. The Club of 27 also promotes activities such as school competitions (“Tu conosci Verdi?”), awards and honors for figures who spread the Maestro’s name (“Cavaliere di Verdi”), official commemorative events, Festival Verdi’s events (“Fuoco di Gioia”), and a library that preserves archival materials testifying to the evolution of Verdian taste and tradition in the city.

Today, the 27 members of the Club are as follows:
– Oreste Bergamaschi – Oberto, conte di San Bonifacio
– Enzo Petrolini – Un giorno di regno [Chairperson]
– Massimiliano Palmieri – Nabucco
– Vittorio Gallese – I Lombardi alla prima Crociata
– Daniele Ghillani – Ernani
– Manlio Maggio – I due Foscari
– Fernando Zaccarini – Giovanna d’Arco [Treasurer]
– Giovanni Conti – Alzira
– Valerio Cervetti – Attila
– Fabio Carreras – Macbeth
– Rossano Rinaldi – I masnadieri
– Maurizio Dardari – Il corsaro
– Carlo Alfieri – La battaglia di Legnano
– Giuseppe Amenta – Luisa Miller
– Aldo Usberti – Stiffelio
– Marco Magnani – Rigoletto
– Silvano Dallatana – La traviata
– Andrea Begani – Il trovatore [Councillor]
– Umberto Paini – I vespri siciliani
– Fausto Zatorri – Simon Boccanegra
– Marino Tiezzi – Un ballo in maschera
– Carlo Aversa – La forza del destino
– Demetrio Ravasio – Don Carlo
– Stefano Bianchi – Aida [Deputy Chairperson]
– Antonio Giovati – Messa da Requiem [Councillor]
– Massimo Galli – Otello
– Paolo Zoppi – Falstaff [Councillor]

On special occasions, it is possible to visit the Covo Verdiano and experience this incredible tradition first-hand. For more informations:
– Tel: 0521 289514
– E-mail: info@clubdei27.com
– Website: www.clubdei27.com